Air Canada Flight Declares Emergency After Crack Forces Edinburgh Return

Air Canada flight declares emergency over the Atlantic after Flight AC937 left Edinburgh at around 10am on Sunday for Montreal-Trudeau Airport and then turned back. The aircraft returned to Edinburgh Airport after a general emergency 7700 squawk was issued about an hour into the trip.

Flight AC937 Over The Atlantic

Flight AC937 was traveling east over the Atlantic Ocean several hundred miles off the coast of the Western Isles before flying back over the Hebrides toward the central belt. The plane was due to land in Montreal at 2.50pm, but it instead headed back to Edinburgh after the emergency call.

An image posted on social media showed a crack on the left window of the pilots' cockpit. The 7700 squawk procedure signals a general emergency and allows air traffic controllers and ground crews to respond in the most effective manner.

Edinburgh Airport Return

The aircraft returned to Edinburgh Airport, putting the flight back where it started before the transatlantic crossing was completed. Air Canada had been contacted for comment.

The immediate question for passengers and crews is how long the aircraft will need for repairs before it can potentially fly again. That delay sits at the center of the disruption: the plane stopped short of Montreal, and the next step depends on the work required on the cracked cockpit windscreen.