Flight cancelled after toddler refuses to sit down and fasten seatbelt

An entire flight was cancelled with those on board hauled off the plane after a toddler refused to sit down and fasten their seatbelt, an airline has now confirmed.

The Porter Airlines flight, bound for Toronto in Canada, had to be pulled on Thursday evening (6 August) after the young child refused to follow the safety procedures ahead of take-off.

As per CBC News, flight PD444 from Victoria International Airport to Pearson International Airport did not take off as a 'safety precaution'. It was reported that the aircraft had already left the terminal and headed to the runway for departure.

But after a young child standing in their seat refused to fasten their seatbelt despite attempts from the parent and cabin crew, the decision was then made to cancel the journey and return to the gate.

Passengers were hauled off the Porter Airlines flight (Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This was because it would've been too late for take-off due to the time needed to bridge the aircraft, remove the child and parent, retrieve their baggage and refile paperwork. Victoria's airport runway also shuts at 12.30am meaning arrival would have been too late.

All other passengers then had to disembark, leaving them stranded in British Columbia for the night, according to reports.

In a statement, Porter Airlines said the young child had been 'standing in their seat', creating unsafe conditions for take-off. The airline also apologised to the passengers over the inconvenience and confirmed they were instead rebooked on a different flight on Friday (7 August).

The toddler refused to sit down (Getty Images)

"They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into being strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath," Aryeh Kozuch, a passenger who had been on board, told the CBC.

Another passenger, Hillary Hertzberg, told the broadcaster: "It took forever. The kid eventually got off the plane at 11.30pm, so we had been on the flight for almost an hour at that point."

According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, the following fight departed from Victoria on Friday at 10:49pm and arrived in Toronto at 6:16am.

The flight went ahead the next day (Flight Aware)

"The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition"

Brad Cicero, a spokesman for the Toronto-based airline, said: “After the aircraft left the terminal and proceeded to the runway for departure, a young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt. Attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful.

“The aircraft could not takeoff in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark. We apologise for the effect this had on other passengers, who were able to depart on a flight the following day."

Victoria International Airport has responded (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, in a statement given to PEOPLE, a Victoria International Airport (YYJ) spokesperson confirmed the flight was cancelled due to the length of delay.

A statement added: "We can confirm that on August 06 Porter Airlines flight PD444 to Toronto was delayed and subsequently cancelled after it was unable to depart before YYJ’s scheduled airfield closure.”

LADbible has contacted Porter Airlines for further comment.