Justin Trudeau's plane finally leaves for Canada after technical snag gets resolved

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally left the Indian social on Tuesday afternoon after the technical issue with the Airbus plane was resolved. Mohammad Hussain, Press Secretary of Canada PMO, announced on Tuesday that the technical issue with the Airbus plane has been resolved. The plane has been cleared to fly, and the Canadian delegation is expected to depart this afternoon.

Trudeau arrived in Delhi on September 8 with his son Xavier for the G20 Summit. He was supposed to fly out on September 10 with his team. However, his Airbus plane developed a snag, forcing him to overstay in Delhi. 

The Canadian Armed Forces sent its CC-150 Polaris plane to pick up Trudeau after the plane that he took to Delhi was grounded due to technical issues, the Toronto Sun reported on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, CBS News reported that his replacement aircraft was diverted to London, whereas it was supposed to file from Rome.

According to the report, Royal Canadian Air Force’s CC-150 Polaris en route to New Delhi was diverted from London though it was supposed to be routed through Rome. No specific reason was given for the diversion. 

The report said CC-150 Polaris may only leave London on Tuesday morning (local time).

Taking to X, MoS Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he was there at the airport to see off Trudeau. 

"On behalf of PM  @narendramodi Ji and my colleagues in govt, I was at the airport today to thank Mr. Justin Trudeau, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Canada @JustinTrudeau for his presence at the #G20Summit and wished him and his entourage a safe trip back home," Chandrasekhar posted on X.

 

Earlier, Canada’s Department of National Defence said that the maintenance problem in the Airbus involved a component that would have to be replaced.

According to a statement from the Canada PM’s office, the delegation led by Trudeau will likely depart from India on Tuesday late afternoon. "Their latest update shows an earliest possible departure of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid," a statement from Trudeau’s office said.

The CC 150 Polaris aircraft, which is an Airbus A310-300, was nicknamed the ‘Flying Taj Mahal’ in the early 1990s after its interior got a lavish upgrade, which was done by the then Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, The Indian Express reported.

The incident is not the first time that Trudeau has had plane-related travel issues. In 2016, the plane carrying Trudeau returned to Ottawa after it took off from Belgium for an official visit, CBC News reported.

In 2019, the plane was out of service for 16 months and a backup flight was grounded in London in December 2019 when Trudeau was in London to attend a NATO summit.

In October 2019, the plane crashed into a wall when it was being towed into a hangar in Trenton, sustaining "significant structural damage to the nose and right engine cowling," the Royal Canadian Air Force said.

India-Canada talks

The relationship between Canada and India is growing increasingly strained, with Canada recently suspending negotiations on a trade treaty with India.

On the backdrop of the G20 Summit, PM Modi raised strong concerns about the continuous anti-India activities by extremist elements in Canada and stated that it is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats.

Following the Summit, Trudeau chose to stay in his room at the Lalit Hotel in New Delhi after his Airbus plane developed a snag.

He wasn’t even present at the official G20 gala dinner, according to the Canadian media.

Trudeau did not have any engagement with the Indian government on Monday.

Foreign news agencies like Reuters and Bloomberg reported that Trudeau received “criticism" from Prime Minister Modi during their talks, which was also covered by Canadian newspapers.

Canada’s opposition leader, who is running for the role of Prime Minister, Pierre Poilievre, posted the Toronto Sun front page on social media on September 11 with a caption that said: “Putting partisanship aside, no one likes to see a Canadian prime minister repeatedly humiliated and trampled upon by the rest of the world."

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