Trudeau still stuck in Delhi due to aircraft issue; earliest possible departure by Tuesday afternoon

Trudeau still stuck in Delhi due to aircraft issue; earliest possible departure by Tuesday afternoon
New Delhi: Canada on Monday said the earliest possible departure of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation from New Delhi is Tuesday late afternoon and that the country’s armed forces are continuing with their best efforts to bring them back home.

The prime minister and his delegation, who were to leave Delhi after the G20 summit on Sunday, are stranded here due to technical issues with their aircraft.

Earlier in the day, a source in the know said that a ferry aircraft to fly them back is expected to land at the Delhi airport at around 10 pm on Monday.

In an e-mailed statement to media, the Canadian Prime Minister’s office said the Canadian Armed Forces continue their best efforts to get the delegation home.

“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.

Trudeau, who arrived in the national capital on Friday, was to return on Sunday after the G20 Summit. However, his departure has been delayed due to technical issues in the aircraft.

“Upon our departure for the airport, we were made aware by the Canadian Armed Forces that CFC001 was experiencing technical issues,” the channel quoted the statement from the prime minister’s office as saying.

“These issues are not fixable overnight, our delegation will be staying in India until alternate arrangements are made,” CTV News channel had said on Sunday quoting a statement from Trudeau’s office.