by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 10:20 AM ET, Thu March 19, 2026
One of the runways at Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL) was closed Wednesday (March 18, 2026) afternoon due to a reported suspicious package aboard an incoming flight.
Two men were arrested in conjunction with the threat, and were released after being questioned by investigators, CBC News reports.
The threat lead to a reduction in the number of incoming flights for about two hours, with a “ground stop” issued by the FAA to some American airports, meaning flights were instructed not to take off for Montreal from the departure airport.
In an email to Radio-Canada, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it was following an "incident related to air safety" involving two planes whose destination was the Montreal airport. CBC states that NORAD fighter jets like the CF-18, F-16 and KC-135 "monitored the situation until the commercial planes landed safely at their destination."
The suspicious package was determined not to be a threat, and flights resumed by 5 p.m. local time. "The investigation conducted by local law enforcement has concluded and has been found to be unfounded," said Eric Forest, spokesperson Aéroports de Montréal.
"Standard security protocols were activated to ensure the safety of the travelling public and the facilities following the identification of a suspicious suitcase on board a flight that landed at YUL."
According to the Montreal Gazette, a spokesperson from Sûreté du Québec, said the two men that were arrested could face fraud-related charges at a later date. Citing the ongoing investigation, she did not provide details on what constituted the alleged fraud.
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