TORONTO — A Porter Airlines flight canceled in Canada last week after a young child refused to sit down and buckle up, prompting the aircraft to return to the terminal and causing a delay that extended beyond the airport’s runway closure.
The Toronto-based carrier said Sunday that both the parent and crew made repeated attempts to secure the child in a seat. After those efforts failed, the plane returned to the terminal at Victoria International Airport in British Columbia so the parent and child could be removed, according to the airline.
Porter said the removal process, including offloading the parent’s and child’s baggage, delayed the Toronto-bound flight on Thursday past the airport’s 12:30 a.m. runway closure. The remaining passengers were required to disembark.
The airline apologized to affected travelers, who were rebooked on a flight the following day.
Porter Airlines flight canceled leads to overnight rebooking
According to the airline, all remaining passengers received new itineraries for the next day after the flight could not depart before the runway closed. The carrier said safety rules require passengers to be seated and belted for takeoff, and the situation prevented the flight from continuing as scheduled.
The Toronto-based carrier noted that Canadian aviation safety regulations govern how passengers must be secured for departure, similar to rules enforced by the Transport Canada regulator.
Porter Airlines is one of several regional airlines that have expanded routes across major Canadian cities, contributing to increased air travel activity at Victoria International Airport.
In recent years, travel disruptions caused by operational issues, weather, and passenger-related incidents have led to more scrutiny of airline practices, echoing broader concerns about how transportation companies handle service interruptions, such as the controversies highlighted when Sysco halts Mexican iceberg lettuce amid cyclospora outbreak.