Air Canada, British Airways flights make emergency landings this week

An Air Canada flight made an emergency landing in Ottawa this morning, while yesterday a Calgary-bound British Airways flight was turned around and forced to land in London after an on-board emergency was declared.

Air Canada Jazz flight AC8953 landed safely in Ottawa just after 6:30 a.m. this morning, after smoke was reported in the cockpit around 6 a.m. Sixty-nine passengers and four crew members were reported to be on the plane, which was flying from Fredericton to Toronto. According to Jazz Aviation spokesperson Debra Williams, emergency vehicles met the aircraft upon arrival and confirmed there was no fire on board. Passengers were moved by ground transportation into the terminal and booked on alternate flights to their destination, she said.

Shortly after its departure from Heathrow Airport in London yesterday afternoon, several news reports stated that the crew of British Airways Flight 103 also reported smoke in the cockpit, forcing the Calgary-bound plane to turn around and return to its point of departure for an emergency landing.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

(Photo courtesy of Heathrow Airports Limited)