Justin Trudeau's plane breaks down during family holiday in Jamaica
It seems like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can’t catch a break when it comes to air travel, as his plane broke down for the second time in months while he was on vacation with his family in Jamaica.
The Department of National Defence (DND) told Daily Hive via email that there was a “maintenance issue” on the prime minister’s CC-144 Challenger on January 2, a few days before his scheduled departure back to Canada from Jamaica.
A second CC-144 with a maintenance team was dispatched to Jamaica to fix the issue on Trudeau’s plane by January 3.
“The aircraft remained in the area as a backup if necessary, and the Prime Minister was able to return on the original aircraft,” stated the DND.
Trudeau was in Jamaica with his three children and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau — whom he legally separated from in August.
The Trudeaus reportedly stayed at a resort owned by wealthy businessman Peter Green, who provided them with accommodations at no cost at his private oceanfront luxury compound that normally rents for over $9,000 per night.
Initially, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that Trudeau and his family would be paying for their accommodation but later clarified that they “stayed at no cost” during their vacation.
Trudeau also experienced plane troubles during his time at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September.
According to the PMO, Trudeau and his delegation were on the way to the airport when they were “made aware by the Canadian Armed Forces that CFC001 was experiencing technical issues.”
The delegation had to stay in India until another plane was dispatched to bring Trudeau and his party back to Canada.
The DND noted that it is a long-standing policy and for security reasons that the prime minister uses one of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s planes for official or personal business travel.
With files from Irish Mae Silvestre