Passengers and crew of Air India Flight 127 spent 18 hours stranded at the international security zone of Iqaluit International Airport in the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. The flight, scheduled from New Delhi to Chicago, made a precautionary landing at the airport early Tuesday morning (Oct. 15), after a bomb threat.
While passengers told the Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC) they were treated well by the airport personnel, they criticized Air India for inattention to their predicament. Late Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) dispatched an Airbus A330 to get the 211 occupants to their destination.
Canadian Armed Forces spokesperson Kened Sadiku told CBC News in a statement that Public Safety Canada had requested assistance from the military over the passengers’ predicament. Sadiku said, “[R]apid relocation of an RCAF aircraft to bring the passengers to their original destination in Chicago was the best way forward to all involved.” The A330 is based in Ontario, Canada.
Because the territory does not have explosives detection units, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told CBC it was hours before a unit could arrive from elsewhere to sweep the Air India plane for a bomb. Air India reported the threat was the fourth it has received in recent days, leading to the landing as a “precautionary measure.” The previous three threats turned out to be hoaxes.
