Delta Air Lines suspends some Canada cargo shipments because of protests

Truck access to airports given as reason for halt in service

Delta Air Lines has an embargo on some cargo destined for Canada. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Delta Air Lines said late Friday it has extended restrictions and stopped accepting all products at Detroit Metropolitan Airport destined for Montreal and Toronto because of limited access to roadways and bridges into the cities resulting from trucker-led protests over the Canadian government’s pandemic mandates. 

The embargo is effective through Saturday, Delta Cargo (NYSE: DAL) said in a notice to customers.

Some roads are closed in downtown Toronto as officials prepare for weekend protests, according to Canadian media accounts. A protest is scheduled on Saturday in Montreal in solidarity with the convoy in Ottawa where truckers and others have used their vehicles to block access to the Ambassador Bridge, the largest commercial crossing in North America. 

Ontario officials have declared an emergency and warned of jail time and other consequences for truck drivers that continue to illegally block international commerce. The blockade has severely curtailed milk runs between automotive plants and suppliers in the U.S. and Canada, forcing automakers to suspend or scale back production. Other industries have also been impacted, with trucking companies forced to take hours-long detours to other land ports.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Parcel and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com