Captain's 'medical issue' on Air Canada flight forces diversion of Halifax flight

Air Canada says a pilot on a flight from Newark, N.J., to Halifax experienced a "medical issue" and the flight had to be diverted to Boston.

A statement from the airline said Flight AC7664 was being operated by regional partner PAL Airlines on Wednesday afternoon when the captain experienced the issue and was removed from the flight deck in accordance with safety protocols. 

It said the first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the flight to Boston, where it landed without issue. 

"Pilots are trained to fly aircraft and land safely without the assistance of a second pilot," the statement said. 

"There were 61 customers aboard the aircraft, a De Havilland Q400."

Air Canada said the captain was taken for medical treatment in Boston and work was underway to provide the affected customers with travel arrangements.

An online flight tracker shows the plane departed from Newark at 12:55 p.m. EDT and landed in Boston about an hour later, with altitude beginning to drop about 30 minutes after takeoff. 

The flight from Newark to Halifax normally takes two hours and 15 minutes.

Controllers in air traffic audio recordings from Logan International Airport were heard warning other pilots that runway 27 would be out of commission due to "an inbound emergency" at 1:35 p.m.

The controller told another arriving aircraft to be aware that the runway may be out of commission due to the emergency aircraft, which "may have an issue getting off the runway" once they land.

A spokeswoman for Boston Logan International Airport said in an email that the Air Canada plane landed without incident, and "Massport Fire Rescue and Boston EMS responded to the crew as necessary."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

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