The Porter Airlines plane returned to the terminal and missed Victoria International Airport’s overnight runway closure deadline.
VICTORIA, British Columbia — A Porter Airlines flight bound for Toronto was canceled after a young child repeatedly refused to sit down and fasten a seat belt before takeoff, forcing the aircraft back to the terminal and leaving the remaining passengers in Victoria overnight.
The incident occurred Thursday, Aug. 6, after the flight had left the terminal at Victoria International Airport and was heading toward the runway. Porter Airlines said cabin crew members noticed the child standing in the seat without a secured seat belt. The child’s parent and crew members made repeated attempts to buckle the child in, but they were unsuccessful. The airline determined that the aircraft could not safely take off under those conditions.
The plane returned to the terminal so the child and parent could leave the aircraft. The airline also had to unload their baggage and complete additional paperwork before the flight could depart again. Those steps took enough time that the flight ran into another problem: Victoria International Airport’s runway closes overnight at 12:30 a.m., according to the airline and news reports.
By the time the family and their luggage had been removed and the necessary departure paperwork was handled, the flight could no longer leave before the runway closure. Porter canceled the Toronto-bound trip, and the other passengers were required to get off the plane. They were rebooked on another flight the following day.
The flight had originally been scheduled to take off at 11:03 p.m. Pacific time, according to Porter information reported by Arizona’s Family. The delay between the scheduled departure, efforts to secure the child and the return to the terminal ultimately pushed the operation beyond the airport’s available departure window.
Porter Airlines apologized for the disruption to the other travelers. The carrier said the decision to return to the terminal was based on safety requirements because the child could not remain standing without a secured restraint during takeoff. Airline crews are required to make sure passengers who occupy seats are properly secured during critical stages of a flight.
The airline did not publicly identify the child or parent, and reports did not provide the child’s exact age. Porter also did not suggest that the family intentionally caused the cancellation. Its account said both the parent and crew attempted to secure the child before the decision was made to return to the gate.
The episode attracted widespread attention online after passengers and news organizations described how the behavior of one traveler resulted in an overnight disruption for an entire flight. Some online reaction focused on the parent, while others noted the difficulty families can face when young children become distressed. Porter’s public explanation centered on the safety issue and the resulting operational delay rather than assigning blame.
No injuries or other safety incidents were reported. The aircraft did not take off with the child unsecured, and the remaining passengers traveled out of Victoria on Friday after being rebooked. Porter said it regretted the effect the cancellation had on its customers.
The cancellation was caused by the combination of the unresolved seat-belt issue and the time needed to return to the terminal, remove the family and their baggage, and prepare the flight again before the airport’s overnight runway closure. No additional action involving the family had been publicly announced as of Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated August 11, 2026.