According to a report by Canada’s National Safety Council in 2020, Canadian registered airplanes and helicopters experienced “an accident rate of 5.8 per 100 000 hours flown.” Meanwhile, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators reported in 2022 that over the course of that year, 91,533 people suffered personal injury (89,787) or death (1,746) in Canada as a result of vehicular accidents or collisions. Although there is much to be said about the frequency at which we travel by air versus on wheels, as well as the density of cars on roads in skewing these statistics, the fact remains: It is, on average, much safer to travel by plane. Yet, the recent occurrence of two major aircraft incidents involving Atlantic Canadian travel prompts many to wonder: what is behind these airborne emergencies?

The first incident took place at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 28, as a plane arriving from St. John’s, Newfoundland, skidded along the runway while attempting to land at Halifax Stanfield National Airport. Flight 2259, which was operated by PAL Airlines on behalf of Air Canada, allegedly experienced problems with the left landing gear upon arrival, causing the aircraft to crash into the runway, and ultimately causing a fire. The aircraft contained 73 passengers, as well as crew members. To the passengers’ horror, the cabin began to immediately fill with smoke, prompting them to use emergency exits, with a nearly 1.5m drop, to evacuate the plane.
Within approximately two minutes, everyone on board was safely evacuated, while the airport itself was closed for nearly an hour and a half as emergency services put out the fire and further inspected the aircraft. In an interview with CBC, passenger Aden O’Callaghan describes trying to take charge amidst the chaos of the crash, as other passengers and flight attendants alike were shocked by the situation. “I started yelling. I was like everybody, like, ‘F your belongings. Get the hell off, everybody needs to be safe,’” he said.
Just days later, at 1:30 a.m. on January 4, 2025, emergency services were dispatched to the Halifax airport again, with reports of an incoming flight experiencing cabin pressure issues. Thankfully, the aircraft was able to land safely, with no passengers sustaining injury and the emergency services were ultimately dismissed. But with the recent increased frequency of mid-flight malfunctions on flights to Halifax, should civilians and frequent flyers be concerned about their safety aboard Air Canada and affiliated flights?
Further investigation is still underway in the case of Air Canada Flight 2259, as potentially related debris was found on the St. John’s runway after the incident. Although this debris was unspecified by reports, it has been taken into serious consideration by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, as representative Hugo Fontaine expressed: “[The agency] has been made aware of the debris found at St. John’s International Airport and we’ll be examining it as part of our investigation. But we’re not going to speculate to confirm whether or not it’s related to the aircraft in question.”
Although these situations in Nova Scotia were thankfully brought under control without any passengers sustaining serious injuries, it should serve as a wake-up call for Canadian airlines to make the safety of their passengers their number one priority. Although accidents can happen, ensuring each part of an aircraft is functioning properly can prevent the preventable, and ultimately save lives. No one boards an airplane thinking it will be their final destination, and with the proper attention to detail, it should not ever have to be.