An Air Canada flight destined for Paris from Toronto was forced to return to Pearson Airport shortly after takeoff due to an engine issue, marking the second such incident involving the airline in just two weeks. Flight AC872, carrying 389 passengers, experienced the malfunction not long after its departure at approximately 8:45 p.m. Wednesday evening.
The Boeing 777 aircraft safely touched down back at Pearson at 9:50 p.m., where it was met by airport response teams. “After the aircraft landed, it was inspected by airport response vehicles as per normal operating processes, and it taxied to the gate on its own,” stated Air Canada in a communication to Global News.
Further measures were taken as the Greater Toronto Airport Authority confirmed that the plane was promptly attended to by Toronto Pearson’s fire department upon its safe landing. Fortunately, no injuries were reported following the incident.
The airline has since removed the aircraft from service for a thorough evaluation by its maintenance staff and engineers. In the meantime, the displaced passengers were accommodated on an alternative aircraft, with the flight rescheduled to depart at 1:32 a.m. on Thursday.
This recent occurrence echoes a similar episode on May 27, when another Air Canada flight, this one bound for Delhi, also returned to Pearson shortly after takeoff due to engine troubles. These repeated incidents highlight ongoing challenges with aircraft reliability that the airline must address.