All about Justin Trudeau's faulty ‘Flying Taj Mahal’

Justin Trudeau’s trip to India was indeed a memorable one. After an earful from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recently concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi, the Canadian PM’s visit became even more problematic with a plane-glitch incident. Trudeau and his country’s delegations were left stranded for two days in a hotel after his plane suffered a technical snag. The prime minister eventually left the country on Tuesday after the issue was resolved. This came after a rescue plane was dispatched by the Canadian government to bring home the leader. “The Canadian Armed Forces continue their best efforts to get the Canadian delegation home. Their latest update shows an earliest possible department of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid,” Mohammed Hussain, press secretary at the Canadian PM’s office, had said. Notably, this isn’t the first time the plane that is transporting the 51-year-old leader has encountered a problem. Here is all you need to know about the aircraft, its previous technical issues, and whether or not the Canadian government intends to replace the fleet. Also read: Justin Trudeau skips G20 dinner, has only sideline talks with PM Modi. Is trouble brewing? About ‘Flying Taj Mahal’ The plane that ran into trouble was CC-150 Polaris 15001, also known as CANFORCE ONE or the Canadian Prime Minister’s aircraft. According to News18, it is one of the modified Airbus A310-300s for their VIPs operated by the country’s armed forces.

The aircraft was ordered by Wardair in the late 1980s when five civilian Airbus A310-300 aircraft were purchased by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the early 1990s as part of the Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) programme. Two of the aircraft served as transports for VIPs, freight, and people travelling across the globe, while the other three were utilised as air-to-air refuelling tankers. The Airbus aircraft was given the nickname “Flying Taj Mahal” in the 1990s by Jean Chretien, who was Canada’s Opposition leader at the time, according to Indian Express. After receiving an opulent interior makeover from the then-Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the aircraft was given that name. Later, when Chretien was elected prime minister, he flew aboard the aircraft on business trips but decided to make interior changes.

Replacement aircraft According to ANI, Mohammad Hussain, Press Secretary of Canada Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said that the technical issue was resolved and the aircraft was cleared to fly.

The Sun Times had earlier reported that a second plane was sent from CFB Trenton to pick up Trudeau and his group on Sunday night. On Sunday evening, at about 8 pm, CFC4130, another CC-150 Polaris transport with tail number 15002, was detected as leaving Trenton by flight tracking systems. The replacement aircraft, which was originally en route to India via Rome, was redirected to London, England. No reason was given for the unscheduled diversion. A technician from Canada also took a commercial flight to India with the part required to repair the earlier aircraft, according to CBC News. Also read: Snubbed at G20, stranded in Delhi: Why Justin Trudeau’s visit has been turbulent History of technical glitches The Canadian PM has encountered such an embarrassing situation several times before. In order to sign the Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement in October 2016, the CANFORCE ONE, which had Trudeau on board, had to return to Ottawa 30 minutes after leaving for Belgium. The aircraft had a problem in Rome while on his 2018 trip to India. The problem caused the normal 1.5-hour fuel break to last three hours instead. When the VIP plane was being pulled into a hangar in Trenton in October 2019, it rolled against a wall and suffered “significant structural damage to the nose and right engine cowling.” For 16 months, the aircraft was in service. Another aircraft was utilised to transport Trudeau to the NATO conference in the same year. The backup aircraft, however, was forced to land in London after an issue with one of its engines. Similar non-Canadian incidents According to CBC, in January 1951, former Liberal prime minister Louis St. Laurent was stranded in Keflavik, Iceland, after his jet broke down while he was returning from a Commonwealth summit in France. His situation was likely far colder than Trudeau’s. Following past incidents involving aircraft carrying the country leaders, New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins stirred controversy in June this year by travelling to China with a backup aircraft. The officials admitted that they had dispatched an empty backup to ensure the PM wouldn’t become stranded in China because the ageing Boeing 757 was so prone to mishaps. A second Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) plane, according to The New Zealand Herald, was flying alongside the Kiwi delegation as it landed in Beijing. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had to postpone her trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in August because her official aircraft was experiencing persistent mechanical issues. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “We tried everything but unfortunately it’s logistically not possible to carry out my Indo-Pacific travel (plans) without the defective plane. That is more than annoying.”

Also read: ‘Shut down’ Indian Embassy in Ottawa: Militant group’s threat after Canada’s Trudeau snubbed in India A new fleet of planes coming According to a CBC News report, the Canadian government has bought nine aircraft, some new and others old, to replace its current fleet. On 31 August, the first one of those aircraft arrived in Ottawa. The RCAF’s outdated Airbus A-310s, also known as the Airbus CC-150 Polaris will reportedly be replaced with widebody jets. According to some reports, the military-grade Airbus A330-200 CC-330 Husky will take the place of the 30-year-old Airbus A310-300 aircraft. However, the aircraft will require a number of upgrades and won’t be ready to transport the Canadian PM for a while. Trudeau’s rough trip to New Delhi Justin Trudeau took part in the discussions last week while attending the G20 Summit in the National Capital on 9 and 10 September. Due to technical difficulties with their plane, the prime minister and his delegation, who were supposed to depart Delhi on Sunday, remained in Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_13114722” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit, in New Delhi. Reuters[/caption] “The problem involves a component that will have to be replaced,” an email from DND spokesperson Andrew McKelvey stated. The component is not essential to flying the plane, according to a CBC News source, but it must be in place to comply with laws. Trudeau and the delegation will return home if the first plane can be repaired before the replacement plane shows up. This came at a time when New Delhi’s attitude towards Trudeau during the crucial Summit was chilly, and PM Modi expressed India’s grave concerns to his Canadian counterpart about the anti-Indian activities carried out by pro-Khalistani groups in Canada. With the two nations holding disparate views on the pro-Khalistani groups present in Canada, relations between India and Canada have reached a new low. Trudeau snubbed the president’s reception for the G20 leaders and stayed away from important statements made outside of the summit. With inputs from agencies