Hundreds of passengers stranded after Air Canada flight to India makes emergency landing
A recent flight between Toronto and New Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing as a “precautionary measure” in Azerbaijan, with passengers complaining online that they were “stranded” at the airport with limited food options and communication from airline staff.
On October 21, Air Canada flight AC42 took off from Toronto Pearson International Airport at 8:05 pm with 300 passengers onboard. The flight was due to arrive at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport approximately 14 hours later.
Twelve hours into the flight, the pilots made the decision to divert to Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan as a “precautionary measure,” although the airline has not disclosed the reason for the diversion.
In an update to X, the airline announced that the affected passengers would be picked up by a new aircraft to complete the rest of the trip.
AC42 Toronto to Delhi, a B777 with 300 customers, has diverted to Baku as a precautionary measure and landed normally. A new aircraft will leave today to pick the customers up and complete the trip.
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) October 22, 2023
However, dozens of Air Canada customers flocked to social media to detail their stressful experiences waiting for their replacement flight at the airport.
“There are cancer patients on the flight with infants and aged parents who have been stranded at the airport with no help. Air Canada staff [have] already left and there is no one to guide the passengers,” one passenger wrote online.
We understand unforeseen and are happy to cooperate with the airline. However, what is @AirCanada doing??? The stranded passengers have been mislead and are being run around the airport without any considerations of their health. Have been security checked in 3 times
— theIndignantOne (@DaivyaVats) October 22, 2023
“Why is the flight continuously being delayed? My wife and son have been stranded [at] that airport with no food options for the past almost 24 hours. They were left to figure out visa entry options while the hotel offered was outside of the airport area,” another complaint reads.
— gurmeet (@gurmeetkaur86) October 23, 2023
“I implore Air Canada to at least make the stranded passengers comfortable by providing them a suitable accommodation to rest. Has been almost seven hours on the ground with NO HELP,” one customer said.
Seeing harrowing videos of elderly having to lie down on the floor at Baku airport and Air Canada crew are nowhere to be seen. Flight crew left immediately after emergency landing and passengers were left to fend for themselves. https://t.co/PrMmah1Rf0
— Prasang Shukla (@prasang_shukla) October 23, 2023
This isn’t the first time the flight path has been affected by an emergency landing. On the night of August 27, Air Canada Flight 43 departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport when a frightening sensor malfunction instructed pilots to “pull up” to avoid a terrain.
The flight crew received the ground proximity warning system (GPWS) warnings despite cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet — indicating a sensor malfunction.
The next flight has been scheduled after approximately 15 hrs with no help/facility to passangers. Passangers are left on their own at the airport that does not have basic facilities. They are made to wait in the waiting area with 0 help or guidance. pic.twitter.com/Pqf4Wt44iU
— Rajinder Sharma (@Rajinde09201735) October 22, 2023
Although pilots onboard went through all of the safety protocols and related checklists, they ultimately decided to cut the trip short and return back to the Delhi airport.
Despite a few delays to the replacement flight, Air Canada says a new aircraft arrived in Baku overnight on Sunday, and it has since boarded all the passengers and departed for Delhi.