Passengers from a British Airways jet that was en route to Calgary when it was diverted to Iqaluit arrived at their final destination Thursday evening.
Their original plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which took off from London, U.K., landed at Iqaluit’s airport on Wednesday evening after experiencing what the airline called a “technical issue.” The passengers stayed in Nunavut’s capital overnight.
Malvinder Singh – who admitted he had never heard of Iqaluit prior to the event — said he was happy to arrive in Calgary safe and praised the plane’s crew for their actions.
“We all smelled a little smoke. Obviously when the captain called we knew there was a problem,” Singh said.
The pilot at the controls was Capt. Richard Dunn. He said the incident on-board was a “fumes event” and made the call to make a precautionary stop in Iqaluit, which was only 160 kilometres away.
“We didn’t know exactly where the fumes were coming from,” he said. “Suddenly, speed becomes a priority.
“It’s a combination of doing something efficiently but also quickly.”
In a statement, British Airways said it “will conduct a thorough inspection of the aircraft.”
Once on the ground in Iqaluit, many passengers stayed at a nearby military barracks where they had access to cots and meals.
“The artwork is beautiful, the people are nice,” added Colin Taylor. “It was good.”
On Thursday morning, a second British Airways jet arrived and flew the stranded passengers to Calgary International Airport, arriving at around 6 p.m.
With files from Global News’ Blake Lough and The Canadian Press.
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