VICTORIA — It was a classic showdown between a plane full of irate passengers and…a toddler?

On a Porter Airlines flight last Thursday from Victoria to Toronto, a young child was reportedly the reason why the plane was unable to take off, all because they refused to wear a seatbelt. 

An airline spokesman confirmed in an email that the plane left the terminal in Victoria on Thursday and was headed to the runway for departure to Toronto, but the child was standing in their seat.

The email says attempts by a parent and crew to get the child to sit down and secure their seatbelt were unsuccessful.

The aircraft could not take off in what Porter called an “unsafe situation”, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the parent and child disembark.

However, since Victoria’s runway closes at 12:30 a.m., there wasn’t enough time required to bridge the aircraft, deplane the duo, retrieve their baggage and submit new flight plans and other paperwork. 

As a result, the other passengers on the plane were forced to wait for another flight the following day.

“We apologize for the effect this had on other passengers, who were able to depart on a flight the following afternoon,” Porter’s statement said. 

In the end, the toddler may not have gotten their way – but they did manage to get everyone else an extra night in Victoria.