Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation departed from the national capital on Tuesday afternoon (September 12) after the technical issue with his aircraft was resolved.

Mr. Trudeau, who arrived in Delhi on Friday, was scheduled to leave on Sunday but was stranded for two days due to a technical issue with the aircraft. A source in the know said the aircraft took off at around 1.10 p.m (IST). Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar was at the airport to see off Mr. Trudeau.

“On behalf of PM @narendramodi Ji and my colleagues in govt, I was at the airport today to thank Mr. Justin Trudeau, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Canada @JustinTrudeau for his presence at the #G20Summit and wished him and his entourage a safe trip back home,” the Minister said in a post on platform X.

The Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology also shared a picture of him with Mr. Trudeau. In a statement on Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s office said the plane has been cleared to fly.

Mr. Trudeau and his delegation, who were to leave Delhi after the G20 summit on Sunday, were stranded here due to the technical issue with the aircraft.

“The technical issue with the plane has been resolved. The plane has been cleared to fly. The Canadian delegation is expected to depart this afternoon,” the statement said.

On Monday, the Prime Minister’s office said the Canadian Armed Forces continue their best efforts to get the delegation home.

“We will keep you updated regularly as the situation evolves. Their latest update shows an earliest possible departure of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid,” it had said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his delegation will stay another night in India, the host for this year’s G20 meet, as his plane developed a technical snag.

“Upon our departure for the airport, we were made aware by the Canadian Armed Forces that CFC001 was experiencing technical issues. These issues are not fixable overnight, our delegation will be staying in India until alternate arrangements are made,” the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The flight, say sources, was scheduled to take off at 8 pm. Trudeau arrived in the national capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit.

This is not the first time that the Airbus has caused problems for Trudeau and his delegation.

According to CTV News, Canada’s 24-hour all-news network, an issue in October 2016 required the aircraft to return to Ottawa 30 minutes after taking off with the prime minister.

In October 2019, says CTV news, the VIP plane rolled into a wall while being towed into a hangar in Ontario.