Trudeau and Canadian delegation stranded in India for at least one more night as backup plans sought

NEW DELHI -

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will remain in India for another night after the government of Canada’s plane was grounded shortly before the delegation’s departure from the G20 summit in New Delhi Sunday.

Senior government sources say the “earliest” departure for the prime minister and the Canadian delegation is late Tuesday afternoon local time. 

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The prime minister was set to depart New Delhi Sunday night following the G20 summit. However, during pre-flight checks, the Canadian Armed Forces grounded the CFC001 plane due to a technical issue that could not be fixed overnight. 

The Department of National Defence (DND) says the maintenance problem involves a component that will have to be replaced. 

“The safety of all passengers is critical to the RCAF and pre-flight safety checks are a regular part of all of our flight protocols,” the department wrote in a statement. “The discovery of this issue is evidence that these protocols are effective.”

Sources say that a technician with the part needed to fix the grounded plane is on a commercial flight to India on Tuesday morning. If that part works, and CFC001 can be fixed, sources say the Canadian delegation may be able to depart for Canada sometime Tuesday late afternoon. 

“The Canadian Armed Forces continue their best efforts to get the Canadian delegation home,” the prime minister’s Press Secretary Mohammed Hussain wrote in a statement. “Their latest update shows an earliest departure of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid.”

If CFC001 cannot be fixed, sources say the government has contingency plans in place but they may not get the prime minister back to Canada as quickly. 

The CFC002 Polaris aircraft departed CFB Trenton for India on Sunday night

and is currently in London, U.K. Senior government sources say the backup plane is expected to arrive in India sometime Tuesday. 

The government’s smaller Challenger jet is also in London and is able to fly to India if necessary. 

The delay returning home means there’s a chance the prime minister will miss at least part of his Liberal Caucus retreat set to start on Wednesday morning. 

This isn’t the first time the Airbus has caused problemsfor Trudeau and his delegation.

In October 2016, the aircraft experienced issues and had to return to Ottawa half an hour after taking off with the prime minister, who was heading to Belgium to sign the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

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Then, in October 2019 as the VIP plane was being towed into a hangar at 8 Wing Trenton, it rolled into a wall. The crash saw the plane out of service for several months as a result of sustaining “significant structural damage to the nose and right engine cowling,” as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) described it.

In order to take Trudeau to the NATO summit in December 2019, a backup aircraft was used. But, that plane was also grounded in London when the RCAF discovered a problem with one of its engines.

The lifespan of the Polaris fleet, which includes five planes, is expected to end in 2027. According to government officials, extending that timeline any further would be difficult due to the age of the equipment.

The federal government announced in July that it signed a deal worth roughly $3.6 billion to replace the aging fleet.

The updated fleet includes four new and five used aircraft that will be outfitted to feature the same capabilities. The federal government purchased the used planes from a company in Kuwait.

The first of new so-called Husky fleet airplanes arrived in Canada on Aug. 31. The DND says aircrew training among other tasks needs to be completed before the aircraft can be put into service. 

The aircraft that arrived in August, which is currently sitting on the tarmac at the Ottawa International Airport with a Government of Canada decal on it, will eventually be used to transport government personnel including the prime minister. 

A second Husky aircraft will be grey and arrive in the fall. 

DND says the two used CC-330 Husky aircraft are expected to enter into service this fall. 

“The current CC-150 Polaris fleet will be retired from service in a phased approach, as the new A330 Husky fleet is integrated and becomes fully operational,” the department of national defence wrote in a statement. 

With files from The Canadian Press