Trudeau's damaged jet won't be airworthy until fall
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government jet will remain out of service until later this year to repair heavy damage sustained to the CC-150 “01” Polaris aircraft late last year in a mishap by ground crew at a military airbase in Trenton, Ont.
Department of National
Defence confirmed with Postmedia News that extensive rehabilitation of the aircraft is needed to undo damage to the aircraft’s nose and engine cowling after the plane jumped its blocks and collided with a hangar wall on the base.
Early estimates suggested the plane would be ready by August of this year but DND said repair efforts will likely continue until well into the fall, a DND spokesperson said.
“The CC-150 Polaris ‘01’ is still being repaired after being damaged in a towing incident on October 18, 2019. The estimated completion date for repairs to CC-150 ‘01’ is mid- to late-fall 2020,” the spokesperson said.
No word on costs to fix the plane was available.
In response to comments by aviation experts questioning whether the plane was damaged beyond airworthiness, the spokesperson said, “No Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft will be flown unless it is determined to be airworthy by a competent authority and safe to fly through a comprehensive and thorough system of inspections, ground tests, and flight tests.”
Trudeau has been forced to use alternate aircraft for domestic and international travel since the plane was decommissioned for repairs.