Canada flight cancelled after child refuses to wear seat belt before takeoff
By SCN News Desk
VICTORIA, British Columbia, Aug. 10 (SCN NEWS) — A Porter Airlines flight from Victoria to Toronto was cancelled after a young child refused to sit down and fasten a seat belt as the aircraft taxied toward the runway, forcing the plane to return to the terminal and leaving passengers stranded overnight.
The incident occurred on Aug. 6 aboard Porter Airlines flight PD444 at Victoria International Airport. The aircraft had already left the gate and was preparing for departure when cabin crew noticed the child standing on the seat without a secured seat belt.
The accompanying parent and members of the cabin crew repeatedly attempted to get the child seated and buckled in, but were unsuccessful, according to the airline.
With aviation safety rules requiring passengers to be properly secured during takeoff, the crew determined that the aircraft could not safely depart and returned to the terminal.
Family removed from flight
The parent and child were taken off the aircraft, along with their baggage.
But what could have been a relatively short disruption quickly became a cancellation.
Removing the passengers and their luggage, reconnecting the aircraft to the terminal and completing revised operational paperwork took additional time.
Victoria International Airport's runway was scheduled to close for departures at 12:30 a.m. By the time the required procedures were completed, the flight could no longer leave before the nightly closure.
Porter therefore cancelled the flight entirely.
The remaining passengers had to stay in Victoria overnight and were rebooked on another flight to Toronto the following day.
Porter apologized for the disruption caused to passengers.
Safety rules prevented takeoff
The unusual cancellation highlights the strict safety requirements governing aircraft during taxi, takeoff and landing.
Cabin crews must ensure passengers who require their own seats are properly restrained before an aircraft can depart. A crew cannot simply ignore a passenger who remains standing or unsecured and proceed with takeoff.
In this case, the aircraft had not taken off when the problem was identified, allowing the pilots to return safely to the terminal.
There were no reports of injuries or other safety problems involving the aircraft.
The family involved has not been publicly identified.
One passenger disrupts an entire flight
The incident attracted widespread attention because the refusal ultimately affected an entire aircraft full of travelers.
It was not the child's refusal alone that caused the overnight delay. Rather, the combination of the safety requirement, returning to the terminal, removing the passengers and baggage, completing necessary paperwork and Victoria's 12:30 a.m. runway closure made it impossible for PD444 to depart that night.
Passengers finally continued their journeys the next day.