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A flight en route from Hamilton, ON, to Vancouver, B.C., was forced to make an emergency landing at YQR International Airport in Regina on Tuesday night.
James Bogusz, CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, confirmed the emergency landing, and said Porter Airlines flight 483 landed saf,” ely and all 91 passengers had disembarked.
“The captain elected to land in Regina as a precaution due to the smell of smoke in the cabin, although none was visible,” Porter Airlines said in a statement to 980 CJME.
Passengers were put up in hotels overnight and will continue to Vancouver on another aircraft Tuesday.
“We appreciate the Regina Airport’s support on the ground and the patience of passengers as we prioritize safe operations,” the statement concluded.
Passengers disembark the plane after the emergency landing. (Steven Szwetz/submitted)
Passenger Gwen Powell has done lots of flying for work, but said Tuesday night was the most scared she’s felt on a plane.
She said the issues began when there were disruptions with the wi-fi and entertainment system on the flight.
“They (flight attendants) said needed everybody to unplug their devices immediately, and let them know if any of our devices were heating up,” Powell said.
Soon after an announcement was made, and Powell heard the plane would be making an emergency landing in Regina within 10 minutes.
Around 10 minutes later, another announcement was made that the emergency landing would be made in Calgary, she said. Powell asked the flight attendant what was happening.
“She said they had smelled smoke at the back of the aircraft. But they weren’t smelling it any longer, so that’s why they decided to carry on to Calgary.”
Eventually, the decision was reversed and the plane landed in Regina.
“I was nervous,” Powell said. “I must admit, I was very nervous.”
Fellow passenger Andrew Robertshaw said he did not smell smoke while sitting on the plane, but heard there was signs of smoke on the flight.
“I feel happy that we’re safe and it was a minor inconvenience,” he said.
Bogusz said the passengers waited inside the terminal building.
“Our emergency response crews were involved, meaning we have our local agencies from the City of Regina, our own airport fire service, as well as our own staff here to support any potential issue beyond the declared emergency,” he said.
“Not sure what the cause was. That’ll be something Porter will have to investigate themselves.”
Bogusz said the airport was informed the plane would make an emergency landing 10 minutes before it happened. He said plane landed smoothly on Regina’s tarmac, and will stay there until the cause is investigated.
“The airline will contact the passengers directly, and they’ll make their own accommodation arrangements and work with the airline for things like a hotel,” he said late Tuesday night.
“What our team does is try to provide some immediate support, making sure they can get off that aircraft if they need a bottle of water, maybe a bag of chips.
“Beyond that, the passengers will need accommodation no different than you would if you had a delay due to weather.”
BREAKING
I’m at YQR Airport where a Porter plane just landed after declaring an emergency.
I just watched passengers walk down the tarmac and into the building. @CJMENews @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/ZM2TAVz9at
— Gillian Massie (@massie_gillian) July 16, 2025
According to Porter Airlines website, the company was founded in 2006 and it flies to more than 40 cities in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. It is Canada’s third-largest airline and operates a fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft.
It is also the official airline of CFL team Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and the team is flying exclusively with Porterfor all away games this season.
— with files from CJME News
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