Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's India trip has finally come to an end after the plane suffered a technical snag after the conclusion of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Trudeau departed for Canada from New Delhi at around 1 pm after the issue was resolved, according to reports.
"On behalf of PM Narendra Modi and my colleagues in Govt, I was at the airport today to thank Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada for his presence at the G20 Summit and wished him and his entourage a safe trip back home," said Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a post on X (formerly Twitter)
Canada's Press Secretary Mohammad Hussain confirmed to ANI that the technical issue with his CC-150 Polaris plane has now been resolved. "The plane has been cleared to fly. The Canadian delegation is expected to depart this afternoon," said Hussain.
The Canadian PM's office in a statement also confirmed that the plane has been cleared to fly. "The technical issue with the plane has been resolved. The plane has been cleared to fly. The Canadian delegation is expected to depart this afternoon," the office said in a statement.
It was earlier reported that the replacement aircraft sent for him has now been diverted to London for unspecified reasons. The plane was initially on it way to India from Rome, but was suddenly diverted to London, reported CBC News. Trudeau's Office had said that the plane will leave the UK on Tuesday morning (local time), further delaying the Canadian PM's departure.
A Canadian government source told CBC News that a technician from Canada with the part needed to fix the CC-150 Polaris plane is now flying to India. That plane suffered a technical snag on their way back after attending the G20 Summit on Sunday.
Now if the first plane is fixed before the replacement aircraft from the UK arrives, it will bring Trudeau and the Canadian delegation home. A Challenger jet in London could also be sent to collect Trudeau if neither plane is able to make the journey.
The source said the flight was scheduled to take off at 8 pm on Sunday, and due to a technical issue, the departure of the prime minister has been delayed. Specific details could not be immediately ascertained.
What is the issue with the CC-150 Polaris?
The plane that was supposed to pick Trudeau and his delegation suffered a maintenance problem, involving a part that must be replaced, according to a statement by Canada's National Defence. "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," it said.
This is apparently not the first time the 36-year-old CC-150 Polaris has faced technical issues. In 2016, the aircraft had to return to Ottawa 30 minutes after taking off with Trudeau, who was en route to Belgium to sign a trade deal.
In 2019, the plane crashed into a wall while beung towed and suffered significant damage, putting it out of service for 16 months. A backup plane was used to take Trudeau to the NATO summit in December 2019, however, it was also grounded in London when the air force discovered a problem with one of the engines.
Trudeau's meeting with PM Modi
During the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed strong concerns to Trudeau during a bilateral meeting about the pro-Khalistani activities in Canada and attacks against Indian diplomats.
"He (PM Modi) conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomtic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship," said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
“Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us.. at the same time we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred,” he said during a briefing on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
(with agency input)
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