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

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.

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. 

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.”