A Porter Airlines Embraer E195-E2 returned to the terminal before departure after a young child repeatedly refused to remain seated with a fastened seat belt, forcing the cancellation of the overnight flight from Victoria to Toronto.
According to FlightRadar24 data, flight PD444 (POE444) began taxiing at Victoria International Airport (YYJ) before returning to the gate about 38 minutes later without taking off. The aircraft involved was E195-E2 C-GKQO (MSN 19020075).
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Porter said the child repeatedly stood on the seat and would not fasten the seat belt despite repeated attempts by both the accompanying parent and the cabin crew to resolve the situation.
"The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the two passengers disembark," the airline said.
The delay proved significant because Victoria International Airport closes its runway overnight. After the aircraft returned to the gate, the family was removed, baggage unloaded and flight planning restarted, but there was insufficient time to depart before the airport's 12:30 a.m. runway closure. The flight was cancelled and passengers were rebooked for the following day.
Under aviation safety regulations, all passengers must remain seated with seat belts fastened during taxi, takeoff and landing. Cabin crews cannot authorize departure while a passenger fails to comply with those instructions, regardless of age.
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One passenger told Canadian media that the child appeared frightened rather than disruptive, repeatedly trying to hide beneath the seat instead of remaining buckled. The passenger also said flight attendants remarked they had not previously encountered a situation in which a child refused to comply for such an extended period.
The incident sparked debate in Canada over how airlines should handle similar situations involving young children. Porter has not announced whether compensation will be offered to the passengers whose travel was delayed.
