A mistake at Ottawa airport allowed 10 passengers arriving from Mexico to leave the terminal without going through customs, passport control or immigration after having been wrongly directed straight to the luggage collection hall.
The incident occurred on 11 January, when an Air Canada flight from Cancún landed at around 8 p.m. local time with 192 passengers on board. Travellers were mistakenly directed through a swing gate intended for both domestic and international flights.
While the majority of passengers were successfully redirected to the customs hall once the error had been identified, ten travellers had already left the airport without being processed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
One of the ten passengers, Heather Badenoch, told CBC that, as she was passing through a set of double doors, the person in front of her turned and asked, “Does this seem right?”
That instinct proved correct. Before they knew it, they were “down the escalator” and out of the airport.
All travellers arriving in Canada are required to submit a declaration explaining the purpose of their visit and declaring any goods, either in advance or at kiosks in the arrivals hall. Badenoch did not submit such a declaration and went straight to the baggage reclaim area.
She explained that she just wanted to go home, as she had no checked luggage and was extremely tired.
Christian Lane, a former CBSA intelligence chief, described the incident as “a serious breach”, telling CBC that the passengers’ legal entry into Canada was “therefore sort of in limbo at the moment”.
Lane added that there could also be consequences for Air Canada, as airlines are required to ensure that international passengers are directed to CBSA officers upon arrival.
In a statement to The Independent, Air Canada acknowledged the error and said it had contacted the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as soon as it became aware of the issue, redirecting affected passengers to the correct pathway. The airline added that, while most of the affected passengers had been located and brought in for processing, 10 had already left the airport without clearing customs.
“The airline shared passenger names with CBSA operations, who completed admissibility and security checks and are following up with each traveller to finalise the necessary processing requirements”, the agency said.
#CBSA officers in BC welcomed more than 16M travellers in 2025 and conducted over 63K NEXUS interviews to support trusted travellers. #CBSA is keeping travel safe for everyone: https://t.co/YWhcgGXRXE #YIR2025 pic.twitter.com/bZFQAYjDTz
— Canada Border Services Agency (@CanBorder) January 6, 2026
Although the airline stated that it was actively trying to locate the ten passengers, Badenoch claimed that she had only been contacted by Air Canada on 17 January – almost a week after the incident – and was unsure what she needed to do.
“This was such a weird situation,” she said. “I don’t actually know how this happened. I’m kind of curious to find that out as well. In hindsight, I’m wondering: do I have to do something now? Do I need to go back and submit something?”
The CBSA said that under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Customs Act, airlines are required to “present their passengers to the CBSA for examination upon arrival in Canada”, and added that failure to do so constitutes a serious contravention which may incur significant penalties.
Fortunately for travellers such as Badenoch, any legal or financial penalties remain with the airline rather than the passengers.
These penalties fall under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS). In cases such as this, the CBSA can issue a baseline penalty of $250 (€154.7) per unreported person, with a minimum total fine of $2,500 (€1,540). However, as the agency has classified the incident as a ‘serious contravention’, the airline could face increased fines potentially reaching $25,000 (€15,440), depending on its compliance history and the severity of the breach.
In a later email to CBC, Badenoch stated she had subsequently been contacted by CBSA officials who had asked her if she had anything to declare and assured her that the incident would not affect her future travel.
