Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way home..Defence department officials confirmed the prime minister’s aging CC-150 Polaris was repaired after sitting on a tarmac in Delhi for the past two days..Trudeau was supposed to depart India from the G-20 Summit on Sunday but an unspecified mechanical issue was uncovered in pre-flight checks and forced the plane to be grounded..The mechanical issue was reportedly resolved in a matter of hours..A replacement CC-150 was dispatched from Trenton on Monday but was diverted to the UK after a Royal Canadian Air Force technician reportedly arrived with the required part via a commercial flight..According to the CBC, a Canadair jet was also dispatched as a backup but ultimately wasn’t required because the plane was repaired before they arrived..In an emailed statement the DND said the delay was warranted to err on the side off caution.."The safety of all passengers is critical to the RCAF and pre-flight safety checks are a regular part of all our flight protocols," it told the BBC. "The discovery of this issue is evidence that these protocols are effective.".The plane in question, a converted Airbus 310 is one of only five made and was converted to government service in the late 1990s after being purchased from the now-defunct Canadian Airlines..The federal government has purchased nine new planes — including two used Kuwait Airways A-330s — but weren’t ready in time for the PM’s departure last Friday. The first arrived in Ottawa on August 31 and isn’t expected to be in full service until later this fall..Converting the new prime ministerial cabin reportedly won’t be ready for another two years. Meanwhile, the Polaris pilots are presently being trained on the new A-330 in the United Kingdom, which isn’t expected to be complete until January.
