Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Toronto: A Porter Airlines flight bound for New Jersey was forced to divert to Pearson International Airport Monday after the pilots deemed it necessary to shut down one of the engines.
“I can confirm that Flight #127 from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport diverted to Pearson International Airport soon after departure when the crew elected to shut down one engine due to an oil pressure indication,” Porter spokesperson Brad Cicero said in an email. “The plane landed without incident. Passengers are being provided with ground transportation options to return to Billy Bishop and travel on another flight this afternoon.”
Cicero added that these sorts of occurrences are “rare” as every flight includes pre-departure checks prior to dispatch.
“No aircraft is operated unless it is serviceable,” he said.
Passengers on the flight took to social media to talk about the ordeal and said they were being given tickets to board the Union-Pearson Express to get back to Billy Bishop Airport to catch a new flight.
Evan Solomon, the host of CTV’s Question Period, was on the flight and tweeted several hours later that the flight, originally scheduled to take off at 10 a.m., landed at Newark at around 7:30 p.m.
In another twist, passengers were informed upon landing that there would be a one-hour wait for a gate at the airport.
“Again Porter crew trying their best but groans just went up from passengers as plane had landed in Newark but there is no gate avail. 1 hour wait on the plane announced. Sigh,” Solomon wrote on Twitter.
Despite some obvious frustration and inconvenience, Solomon tweeted that passengers were making the best out of the situation.
“And to put it all in perspective, it’s not so bad. Family is good. Everyone safe. Snacks on the Tarmac. And just a mild inconvenience,” he tweeted at around 7:45 p.m. “So gotta have some perspective. #gratitude for the chance to hang with the fam wherever we are is what is comes down to right?”
