Air Canada flight to Brazil ordered back to Toronto over passenger screening
Posted Jun 19, 2014 7:41 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Canadian security officials were saying little Thursday about a scare at Pearson International airport that prompted them to order an Air Canada flight to Brazil carrying 189 passengers to return to Toronto after several hours in the air.
Flight AC 090 took off normally for Sao Paolo at around 11.30 p.m. Wednesday, unaware that a male passenger had boarded the aircraft without proper screening, an Air Canada spokesman said Thursday.
“With the aircraft already in the air for four hours, we were notified of this and ordered by Transport Canada to have the aircraft return to Toronto,” Peter Fitzpatrick said.
The plane landed normally at 6:30 a.m. at Pearson and was surrounded by police and security officials.
“Police came on board and got a man,” Canadian basketball coach, Chantal Vallee, who was on the flight, said in a tweet.
“We were told he got on the plane without passing through security and got caught on tape. I see him in the boarding area now!?”
It was not clear what happened to the man in question. Peel regional police, which investigated the incident, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Transport Canada refused to discuss what occurred.
“Transport Canada recalled the plane,” the agency wrote in a statement. “For security reasons, we cannot disclose the reasons behind this decision.”
It referred further requests for information to the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which in turn issued a statement about an unspecified “security breach” and said it would do an internal assessment.
“In the interim, enhanced security measures have been put in place,” the authority statement said. “Given the incident involves airport security, we cannot share specific details.”
Airport authorities had said late Wednesday that all departing international flights from Terminal 1 were suspended while police searched for a male passenger who had reportedly passed through airport security without being checked.
The Air Canada flight had apparently just taken off when the flights were grounded. It was not clear what the cost of the diversion was.
The flight departed again for Brazil mid-morning Thursday.
“Yeah!! Boarding now back to Sao Paulo!” Vallee tweeted.
“I think that will mean 18 hours of flying in 24 hours.”
Vallee said she thought Air Canada handled the situation well.
