Off-duty Air Canada pilot helped land plane after first officer fell ill
Air Canada planes are parked at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on April 28, 2021.
PHOTO: Reuters file
PUBLISHED ONJune 24, 2023 3:43 AM
OTTAWA - One of the pilots flying an Air Canada jet airliner became sick during a domestic flight but the plane landed safely after an off-duty pilot stepped in to help, the carrier said on Friday (June 23).
Air Canada said the first officer had begin feeling ill towards the end of a 2,115km (1,300 mile) flight from Toronto to St. John's in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland on June 7.
"Another off-duty Air Canada pilot travelling on the aircraft substituted for the first officer so that there were two pilots on the flight deck as usual," it said in an emailed statement. The plane landed safely.
The airline did not respond to a question about the state of health of the sick pilot.
According to Air Canada's website, the carrier generally operates the flight with an Airbus A-220 twin-engine airliner, which can carry around 140 passengers.
ALSO READ: Canada to drop mandatory Covid-19 tests for travellers from China