National Post (National Edition)
IF THIS IS LOS ANGELES, WHY IS IT SNOWING?
A Los Angeles-bound flight — the city was a balmy 21 degrees — suddenly found itself diverted Wednesday to Iqaluit — a frigid, and somewhat ironic, minus 21.
The flight from Zurich should have flown over Greenland, Hudson’s Bay, Ontario and Manitoba on its way to L.A. Instead, it was forced to make a landing in Iqaluit due to what the airline called a “technical irregularity.”
“The real issue was they only had one engine, but despite that it was a smooth landing,” said Iqaluit airport director John Hawkins.
“Would you believe me if I told you the plane I was in lost an engine and now I’m stuck in the middle of the North Pole?,” L.A.-based singer Leroy Sanchez tweeted.
But all was not lost for Sanchez and the other jet-setting passengers on the Swiss International Air Lines flight suddenly stranded in the high Arctic in February — they got a tour of Iqaluit in a heated bus.
Iqaluit Mayor Madeleine Redfern wasn’t sure what would be included on the tour, but Hawkins said the museum and the swimming pool were two places he’d suggest. “Iqaluit is a spectacular place, they only have a few hours so there’s no way they’ll see it all,” said Hawkins.
The Boeing 777, which can hold up to 295 passengers, landed smoothly, but had difficulty turning around. There were no injuries.
A replacement airplane was sent from New York to pick them up “so they will not be staying overnight,” said Redfern Wednesday. Although the exact number of passengers was not released, 295 people would increase Iqaluit’s population of 6,699 by more than four per cent.
It’s a good thing there was no plan to have them stay overnight because “there aren’t enough nearly enough hotel rooms. There’s a recreational hall we could put people in if we had to,” said Hawkins.