Porter Airlines flight cancelled in Canada after child refuses to sit down and put seatbelt on
A flight operated by Porter Airlines in Canada was cancelled after a toddler refused to sit down and have the seatbelt on.
The incident happened on August 6 on a flight from Victoria, British Columbia, destined for Toronto.
Flight PD444 left the terminal and was on the runway about to take off when flight attendants noticed a toddler was standing on the seat with a seatbelt on.
Both the child’s parent and cabin crew members repeatedly tried to get the child to sit with the seatbelt on, to no avail.
The plane was then forced to return to the gate so the family could disembark. All other passengers were also forced to leave the plane so that flight plans and other paperwork could be refiled, due to the delay in departure.
The delay eventually extended beyond the runway’s 12.30am closure time, forcing all passengers to have to spend an extra night in Victoria and be rescheduled for flights the following day.
“After the aircraft left the terminal and proceeded to the runway for departure, a young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt. Attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful,” Porter Airlines said in a statement.
“The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.”
The age of the child is not known. It is also not known how many passengers were aboard the plane, which can carry 132 people.
Flight CANCELLED after a KID refuses to sit down and buckle up
— RT (@RT_com) August 10, 2026
A Porter Airlines plane was heading for the runway, but had to return to the terminal so the parent and child could be removed
ALL other passengers had to disembark too pic.twitter.com/6ALsBzVVZu
Passengers speaking to the media said there was a lot of “frustration” about the incident and mentioned that the child was scared and kept sliding down the seat and hiding under it every time the seatbelt was on.
Porter Airlines apologised to passengers who had to find last-minute accommodation for the night and are now left to chase the company for compensation.