Air Canada flight to Halifax diverted to Boston after pilot suffers medical emergency

An Air Canada plane taxies down the runway at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

An Air Canada flight en route to Halifax was forced to divert to Boston Logan International Airport on Wednesday after the pilot experienced a medical emergency.

In a statement to CTV News, Massachusetts State Police confirmed that at approximately 1:40 p.m. ET, Air Canada flight AC7664, which departed from Newark, N.J., had to divert to Boston after a reported medical emergency.

Air Canada told CTV News in an emailed statement that the pilot was “removed from the flight deck, as per safety protocols.”

“The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed safely,” Air Canada’s statement read.

Massachusetts State Police told CTV News the pilot was transported to a local hospital.

Air Canada says 61 customers were aboard the aircraft.

“Work is underway to provide the affected customers with travel arrangements to complete their journeys as soon as possible,” Air Canada said.

With files from CTV News’ Corin Thompson