Porter Airlines cancelled a flight from Victoria to Toronto on 6 August after a child passenger refused to wear a seatbelt while the aircraft was taxiing toward the runway. The child stood in their seat despite repeated efforts by a parent and crew members to secure them safely, according to airline statements.
Crew determined the aircraft could not depart in the unsafe condition and instructed the plane to return to the terminal. Brad Cicero, a spokesperson for the airline, explained to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that all passengers were required to disembark because removing only the child and accompanying parent, combined with required paperwork processing, would exceed the airport’s midnight closing time. Porter Airlines apologised for the disruption and confirmed all affected passengers received rebooking on a flight departing the following day.
Passenger Aryeh Kozuch characterised the situation differently, telling Canadian Press that the child was not behaving disruptively but rather appeared fearful and attempted to hide under a seat when efforts were made to restrain them. He noted the child’s response seemed rooted in anxiety rather than defiance. Another passenger, Hillary Hertzberg, expressed frustration with the timeline, indicating nearly an hour elapsed between boarding and the child’s disembarkation around 11:30pm, suggesting the airline could have resolved the matter more quickly.
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