On August 6, 2026, Porter Airlines cancelled Flight PD444 from Victoria International Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport after a toddler passenger refused to fasten their seatbelt during taxi. The aircraft had already left the gate at Victoria when the incident occurred, forcing the flight to return to the terminal and ultimately leading to cancellation.
Cabin crew and the child’s parent made repeated attempts to have the child seated and properly buckled. However, the toddler was found standing on their seat, and these efforts were unsuccessful. Due to federal aviation safety regulations that require all passengers to be seated and
secured before takeoff, the crew determined the aircraft could not depart in that unsafe condition and decided to return to the gate so the child and parent could disembark.
Victoria Airport Curfew Causes Flight Cancellation
The delay from the seatbelt refusal incident pushed the flight’s departure past Victoria International Airport’s 12:30 a.m. overnight curfew, which prohibits flights from operating after this time. The child disembarked around 11:30 p.m., but the turnaround time exceeded the curfew cutoff, making takeoff impossible that night and causing the flight to be cancelled.
The cancellation stranded passengers overnight at Victoria International Airport. Flight PD444 was rescheduled to depart at 1 p.m.
the following day, departing approximately twelve hours later than originally planned.
Porter Airlines Statement and Passenger Impact
Porter Airlines spokesperson Brad Cicero confirmed the safety issue was genuine and left no option but to abort the departure, saying, “The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark.” The airline apologized for the disruption and stated its cabin crew followed standard safety protocols throughout the event.
Passengers reported limited communication from Porter Airlines following the cancellation. Some stranded travelers, including passenger Hillary Hertzberg, criticized the airline for the lack of accommodation arrangements
and slow handling of the situation. Hertzberg said passengers were left to arrange their own overnight stays, while those in the PorterReserve section received meal vouchers due to catering constraints.
Porter Airlines did not confirm or deny whether compensation was offered for the cancellation. The airline operates six weekly nonstop flights on the Victoria to Toronto route, excluding Saturdays, making the cancellation a significant disruption for affected travelers.
Official Perspectives and Regulatory Context
Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights, stated the incident was beyond the carrier’s control and compensation claims are unlikely under current Canadian regulations. He said, “I don’t think the public hears
me very frequently defending the airline, but it’s one of the cases where I have to say it’s absolutely out of the carrier’s control.”
Federal aviation safety rules mandate every passenger to be seated and properly secured before departure, regardless of age. When a child refuses to comply, flight crews face operational challenges that can delay or cancel flights. Strict airport curfews like Victoria International’s 12:30 a.m. cutoff further increase the risk of cancellations in such scenarios.
Events of this nature are not unique to Porter Airlines but highlight common safety and logistical difficulties across the airline industry involving young
children and in-flight seatbelt compliance.
Passenger Rebooking and Flight Resumption
Following the cancellation, all passengers on Flight PD444 were rebooked for the next departure the following day at 1 p.m. The flight resumed service after an overnight delay of approximately twelve hours. Porter Airlines maintained the safety of its operations throughout and confirmed no other flights were affected by this specific incident.
