Grounded after ‘threat,’ Air India travellers forced to wait in Iqaluit

This story was updated on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, at 7:28 a.m. ET.

More than 200 Air India travellers and crew bound for Chicago spent much of Tuesday inside the Iqaluit airport instead, after a security threat forced their jet to make an unplanned landing.

The Boeing 777-337, travelling from New Delhi, India’s capital, landed in Iqaluit at 5:21 a.m., an RCMP news release said Tuesday.

“The aircraft and the passengers are being re-screened as per the laid-down security protocols,” Air India said in a statement posted to X at approximately 8:30 a.m.

“Air India has activated agencies at the airport to assist the passengers until such time that their journey can resume.”

By Tuesday afternoon — nearly 12 hours after the unscheduled arrival touched down and with the plane still on the ground in Iqaluit — police said the investigation had been turned over to the RCMP federal policing Northwest Region’s federal Arctic Unit with assistance from the Nunavut RCMP’s criminal operations unit and the Northwest Region’s national security unit.

The emergency landing occurred as Canada and India are mired in a diplomatic dispute.

On Monday, the RCMP’s federal policing division alleged that members of India’s government have engaged in serious criminal activity, including homicides, in Canada.

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including its high commissioner. India, in turn, expelled six Canadian diplomats posted to that country.

“We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government in threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil — a deeply unacceptable violation of Canada’s sovereignty and of international law,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement Monday.

In its social media statement Tuesday, Air India noted it and other airlines have been subject to “a number of threats” in recent days, all of which turned out to be hoaxes.

The plane, which was carrying 211 passengers and crew, was parked near the Amazon hub at sunrise as people in Iqaluit woke up to the city’s first blanket of snow of the season.

A handful of people were there catching a glimpse of the jet and taking pictures.

At 11:15 a.m., the scene inside the airport was busy.

Airport staff rolled a trolley of food into the secure area where the Air India passengers were moved as they awaited word from the airline on what would happen next.

Passengers of a grounded Air India jet are confined to the secure area of the Iqaluit airport after a threat forced them to make an emergency landing. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

Some appeared happy to be served pizza and coffee during the unexpected layover.

“They’re a really good group of people,” said Troy LeBlanc, a manager with Arctic Co-op Ltd. responsible for the airport’s gift shops.

He said the gift shop’s cashier “has everything under control,” helping people out.

As the passengers grabbed lunch, an accordion player entertained some of the younger travellers.

Two Canada Border Services Agency officers as well as four RCMP officers guarded the area around a rope that was installed to separate the Air India passengers from Canadian North travellers who were waiting to board a 12:25 p.m. flight to Ottawa.

Some people who were disembarking from another Canadian North flight stopped to listen to the music and observe the larger-than-usual crowd through the glass that looks into the secure area.

“Canadian North operations have only been minimally impacted earlier this morning, and it’s my understanding departures are getting back to normal now that the Air India plane has been relocated,” said Lauren D’Oliveira, spokesperson for Canadian North, in an email.

Two black RCMP vehicles were still on site near the Air India jet, which at midday was still parked near the Amazon Hub. The hub itself remained open as usual for package pick-up.

As of 3 p.m., Air India had not provided an update as to when the flight to Chicago might resume.

In posts on X, the airline said  it was working on making arrangements to get the travellers moving again, keeping safety as its top priority.

This isn’t the first rerouted international flight the Iqaluit airport has seen this year.

An Air France jet en route from Paris to Seattle made an emergency landing in Iqaluit in May due to a heat smell, with passengers deplaning and resuming their journey several hours later.

Correction: This story has been updated to say airport staff delivered lunch to the travellers. A previous version of this story included incorrect information.