After more than 200 passengers spent a night locked inside a plane earlier this month, United Airlines is designating Goose Bay Airport for emergencies only.
There were plenty of questions after the incident about the airport’s inability to handle the unexpected arrivals of international flights. The Canadian Border Services Agency was seemingly unable to process that many passengers on short notice.
United Airlines Flight 179 was on its way to Hong Kong from Newark, N.J., when it landed in Happy Valley-Goose Bay for a medical emergency. The passenger was taken off and sent to hospital, but the rest were told they’d have to stay onboard while the crew dealt with a mechanical issue.
It wasn’t until 16 hours later that the passengers left on a replacement plane.
“We apologized to our customers for this experience — our crew and operations did everything possible to assist customers during the delay,” said a United spokesperson on Monday.
Passengers travelling from Newark, N.J., to Hong Kong weren’t expecting to stop off in Goose Bay, N.L. They were stuck on the plane for 16 hours before a replacement plane arrived. (@sonjaydutterson/Twitter)
Goose Bay Airport is located on a Canadian Forces base and border services staff do not typically work overnight.
When reached for comment, United Airlines confirmed it has designated Goose Bay as an emergency option, meaning its aircraft would be heading to other airports in situations that are anything less than an emergency.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the change in designation is just one of several changes made after a review of the incident with Flight 179 on Jan. 19.
The American media publication reported United “identified ways it could improve communication with customers, and it is examining how it could get planes in such situations fixed faster.”
The Goose Bay Airport Corporation declined an interview with CBC News, but according to the Journal, general manager Goronwy Price said they were trying to find a better method of handling unplanned landings, including deplaning passengers into a large building that wouldn’t require them to clear customs.