The Canadian Prime Minister finally left India, this Tuesday, September 12, two days late. Justin Trudeau’s plane suffered damage, which prevented him from leaving after the G20 summit. Yet another problem caused by these outdated devices, which also happens after a tense visit.
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With our correspondent in New Delhi, Sébastien Farcis
The relief must have been great when the military plane finally took off from the New Delhi runway, around 1 p.m. (around 7:30 a.m. universal time). It had been nearly 48 hours since the Canadian Prime Minister was stranded in India, with his son and his delegation, due to a mechanical problem with his official plane.
It was finally able to be repaired by a technician, sent from Canada with a new part. A spare plane was also on its way, and stopping over in London, in case the first could not be repaired.
This type of incident is almost annual now in the fleet of Canadian aircraft, more than 30 years old. And it occurs above all after a tense G20 summit : India continues to protest against Ottawa’s tolerance towards the movement of Sikh nationalists, many of whom are based in Canada. They organized a symbolic vote on Sunday September 10 to demand the independence of this Indian region.
So it was high time to leave for Justin Trudeau. These technical problems should soon be a thing of the past, as Canada has purchased a fleet of new Airbuses. The first has already been delivered, but it must be tested and fitted out before being used by the Prime Minister.