Westjet passengers forced to spend the night in Iceland after an emergency landing will arrive back in Alberta on Sunday evening.
On Saturday morning, a WestJet flight bound from London Gatwick to Edmonton was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Reykjavík. WS27 was diverted to Keflavík International Airport after crews detected a potential mechanical issue.
Passengers were put up in hotels for the night and the plane was grounded for maintenance.
READ MORE: London to Edmonton WestJet flight diverted to Iceland after ‘potential mechanical issue’
WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said Sunday that all guests would be flown out of Iceland on two recovery planes bound for Edmonton and Calgary.
The flight to Edmonton is expected to land by 7 p.m., while the flight to Calgary should arrive at 9 p.m.
She said over 100 passengers from Saturday’s flight were supposed to connect to Calgary anyways, so it was just easier to send two planes for direct flights.
Stewart explained that Saturday’s declaration of an emergency was done out of caution, as it gave the flight priority landing and readied emergency vehicles on the ground, in case that was needed.
“It is important to remember that the declaration of an emergency does not necessarily mean an actual emergency occurred,” Stewart told Global News in an email Saturday.
It’s not known what type of potential mechanical issue prompted the unscheduled stop.
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