Oxygen masks deployed on Air Canada flight from Newark, NJ, to Vancouver, BC, following cabin pressure issue and emergency rapid descent, passenger says; plane landed safely after diverting to Toronto.
Air Canada Flight 549, an Airbus A319 aircraft, took off from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey at about 6:22 p.m. ET on Friday and was scheduled to make a 5.5-hour flight to Vancouver International Airport.
While flying over Pennsylvania, the aircraft experienced a drop in pressurization, which caused the pilot to initiate a rapid descent from an altitude of 34,000 feet to 10,000 feet. The aircraft then declared an emergency and diverted to Toronto Pearson International Airport, where it landed at 7:53 p.m. ET.
Fire crews were on standby at the Toronto Airport, but the aircraft landed without incident, and there were no immediate reports of injuries. The aircraft was carrying 107 passengers, according to Angela Mah, a spokeswoman for Air Canada.