Canadian North relieves crew in Qikiqtarjuaq

The Canadian North airline grounded a De Havilland Dash 8 passenger aircraft in Qikiqtarjuaq on the morning of May 31 because of “unusual circumstances relating to one of our pilots,” a statement from the airline said.

“We take any reports which may impact the safety of our passengers and crew very seriously,” the airline said.

The airline did not state the nature of the “unusual circumstances” and did not say if some form of substance abuse influenced their decision.

But they did say that passenger safety was a factor in the incident.

“As soon as the report was made, we grounded the aircraft and relieved the crew of their duties,” the airline said.

The airline did this with the help of the RCMP and will conduct their own investigation, the statement said.

(More to follow)