The quick thinking of one Air Canada pilot has been credited with saving a dog’s life when he diverted a flight after noticing a heating system malfunction was causing the animal distress.
The seven-year-old French bulldog Simba was taking his first flight, from Tel Aviv to Toronto, when the pilot spotted the problem, just as the plane was about to head over the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures plummet.
Realising that the dog – who was in a crate in the cargo hold – could be in trouble, the pilot made the decision to instead land the plane in Frankfurt, Germany.
Simba was then placed on another flight and the plane continued on to Toronto without him, a decision for which the pup’s owner was incredibly grateful for when they were reunited at Pearson Airport, saying Simba is ‘everything to me’.
The flight was delayed for 75 minutes but aviation expert Phyl Durby said the pilot made the correct call.
He added:
If you look at the outside temperature, if it’s minus 50 or 60, there is some insulation but it will probably still get down to below freezing [in the cargo area]. The captain is responsible for all lives on board, whether it be human life or even canine life [and] animal life.
Talk about a rough trip!
