Toronto-bound Air Canada flight performs emergency landing in Houston

An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max aircraft arriving from Toronto prepares to land at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on March 12, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

An Air Canada flight heading toward Toronto from Mexico City had to make an emergency landing in Houston last week.

On Friday, Oct. 13, the plane, carrying 166 passengers, experienced reduced cabin air pressure due to a fault with the aircraft’s air conditioning, according to the Canadian airline.

“As per our standard operating procedures, the pilots brought the aircraft below 10,000 feet and the oxygen masks deployed, but their use was not required as there was sufficient oxygen in the cabin,” Air Canada spokesperson, Peter Fitzpatrick, told CTV News Toronto in a statement Wednesday.

“The pilot requested an emergency landing in order to obtain priority and secure a slot to land in Houston since the stop was not scheduled.”

The Boeing 737MAX aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries.

Air Canada said it offered passengers “goodwill compensation,” accommodations for the evening before they flew to their final destination the day after.