Last update:
People walk to a Royal Canadian Air Force transport plane as they are evacuated from an approaching wildfire in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada August 14, 2023. (Representative image/Reuters)
The plane had 211 passengers, including 20 crew members
The Canadian government has approved a request to fly Air India passengers from Iqaluit Airport to Chicago, hours after the flight was diverted from the airport due to a bomb threat.
“With the passengers of Air India flight 127 stranded in Iqaluit, after an emergency landing due to a bomb threat, we have granted a request for the @CanadianForces to provide a flight for the passengers to arrive safely to their destination in Chicago,” said Canada’s former public safety minister. Bill Blair said in X’s post.
The plane had 211 passengers, including 20 crew members. The request for the stranded passengers to fly was passed to reduce the pressure in Iqaluit as the city did not have the equipment to carry these passengers.
With the passengers of Air India flight 127 stranded in Iqaluit, after an emergency landing due to a bomb threat, we have accepted a request to @CanadianForces provide an airline for passengers to safely reach their destination in Chicago. Bill Blair (@BillBlair) October 16, 2024
In a statement on Wednesday, Air India said, the passengers of flight AI127, which was diverted to Iqaluit in Canada on October 15, were on their way to their destination – Chicago.
“Passengers were transported on a Canadian Air Force flight that departed Iqaluit at 03:54 hrs UTC and is expected to arrive in Chicago around 07:48 hrs UTC,” the airline said. The UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) of 03:54 hours was approximately 11.54 pm local time in Iqaluit.
“Despite great efforts, the city of Iqaluit is not equipped to accommodate these passengers,” said Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, on the X website.
“After consultation with Transportation Minister Anita Anand and my role as Minister of Emergency Preparedness, I have approved the request for Canadian Forces services to relieve pressure in Iqaluit and send the passengers safely to their destination in Chicago,” he added.
