Canadian PM Trudeau's Stay in Delhi Extended Till Tuesday After His 34-yr-old Aircraft Develops Snag

In what is turning out to be a longer than anticipated delay, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who is stuck in Delhi due to an aircraft issue —  may not be able to fly back home till Tuesday afternoon.

Trudeau and the Canadian delegation, that landed in New Delhi on Friday, to attend the two-day G20 Summit were scheduled to leave at 8 PM on Sunday.

However, the 34-year-old aircraft developed a technical slag and the entire Canadian delegation has been stranded in the national capital ever since.

Canada on Monday said that earliest possible departure of  Trudeau will be no before Tuesday late afternoon and that the country’s armed forces are continuing with their best efforts to bring them back home.

A ferry aircraft, most probably a a CF002 is expected to fly them back and it will reach Delhi at 10 pm on Monday.

“We will keep you updated regularly as the situation evolves. Their latest update shows an earliest possible departure of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid,” Press Secretary Mohammad Hussain said in the statement

The ‘Flying Taj Mahal’ Aircraft 

This is not the first time that this old aircraft has developed a technical snag, causing an inconvenience to the prime minister.

In 2016, the same aircraft had developed a similar snag that had forced Trudeau at that time to return 30 mins after his scheduled departure.

The aircraft called ‘flying taj mahal’ got its name in the early 1990s, after it’s interiors got a lavish upgrade.

Trudeau at G20 Summit

While in the national capital, Trudeau met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Summit, and congratulated him on the success of India’s G2O Presidency.

Prime Minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties. PM Modi also conveyed strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada.

“They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship,” a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

“The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats,” it added.