Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a minor setback during his recent visit to the Caribbean, as an aircraft glitch prompted the Canadian Armed Forces to send a second plane with a repair team to address the snag.
This marks the second such incident in recent memory, after the delay faced during Trudeau's departure from India during the G20 Summit in September last year. The Prime Minister, who had embarked on a family holiday, found himself facing a similar predicament in Jamaica.
"We can confirm two Royal Canadian Air Force CC-144 Challengers were in Jamaica supporting transport for the prime minister," a spokesperson for Canada's defence department said, as quoted by news agency Reuters.
The issue was identified on January 2, as reported by CBC News. Swift action was taken, with the second plane carrying a maintenance team arriving on the scene a day later to rectify the problem with the original aircraft.
Despite the unexpected hiccup, Trudeau managed to adhere to his original travel schedule, returning on January 4 without further delays. Both planes involved in this incident were identified as CC-144 Challenger aircraft, relatively recent acquisitions by the Canadian Armed Forces.
This follows a pattern of mishaps in Trudeau's recent travel history.
Notably, in September, his departure from Delhi after the G20 Summit was delayed due to an unspecified mechanical glitch. In 2019, amid his re-election campaign, a collision between a bus carrying journalists and an aircraft chartered by Trudeau's Liberal party created a chaotic scenario.
Later that same year, he had to switch to a backup plane for a NATO summit in London after the original suffered damage in a hangar accident. Unfortunately, complications arose with the backup aircraft, compelling Trudeau to opt for a third one for his return journey.
