On June 3rd, a Toronto-bound flight declared an emergency and then unexpectedly dropped its passengers in a wrong country.
The flight, operated by an airline based in the Eastern Europe, departed from an airport in the region before making a scheduled stop in Istanbul, Turkey. Upon reaching the Turkish airspace, the aircraft experienced a technical issue and the pilot declared an emergency. The plane continued to fly towards its scheduled destination in Canada, but soon after, the flight crew informed the passengers they would be landing in an alternate airport.
To the surprise of all onboard, the plane touched down in a small town in Bulgaria, an Eastern European country located several hundred miles away from their intended destination. With no knowledge of the language or any point of contact in the country, the passengers found themselves in a foreign and unfamiliar place.
The airline apologized for the inconvenience and arranged for a replacement plane to pick up the passengers the following day, but the incident left many questioning the safety of the airline and their own future travels.
The airline has since provided an official statement in which they acknowledged the mishap and apologized for the inconvenience caused. The statement also confirmed that the issue was addressed and the plane was inspected and repaired before it was cleared for takeoff.
Questions remain, however, as to why the flight crew chose to land in a foreign country rather than a more suitable destination for an emergency. For now, the airline is doing what it can to make sure the passengers have been provided with a safe and secure journey home.