Air Canada pilot lauded for diverting trans-Atlantic flight to save dog

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Pilot diverts flight to save a dog in cargo hold A pilot is being praised for diverting a flight to save a dog's life. As Mara Montalbano (@maramontalbano) tells us, the dog was in danger of freezing to death otherwise.

An Air Canada pilot is being lauded for diverting a Tel Aviv-to-Toronto flight to Germany, a move that may have saved the life of a passenger's French bulldog riding in the jet's cargo area, according to Canadian outlet CityNews.

The pilot's decision came after a heating system malfunction in the plane's cargo area. The pilot noticed the issue just as the plane was about to head out over the Atlantic on its way to Canada. Temperatures at high altitudes, of course, drop to dangerously low levels that -- without heat -- could endanger the lives of both pets and humans.

With the heating system out, the pilot decided to divert Air Canada Flight 85 on Sunday (Sept. 13) to minimize the risk to "Simba," the 7-year-old French bulldog. The pilot -- who is not being identified -- had Simba pulled from the Air Canada flight and placed on another Toronto-bound Air Canada flight from Frankfurt.

"After takeoff the pilot got an indicator that one of the cargo hold heaters had malfunctioned and that the temperature was falling, as it is very cold at the high altitude where our planes fly," Air Canada spokesman John Reber said in a statement to Today in the Sky. "While a heater is not normally a critical component, on this particular flight there was a live animal in the hold."

"Air Canada's pilots are professionals who are responsible for the entire flight," the airline added in its statement. "As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the Captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog's comfort and well-being. With the altitude it can become very uncomfortable, and possibly the situation could have been life threatening if the flight had continued."

The dog and grateful owner German Kontorovich were eventually reunited at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

"It's my dog, it's like my child. It's everything to me," Kontorovich tells CityNews.

Aviation expert Phyl Durby speculated to CityNews that the diversion probably cost Air Canada several thousand dollars in fuel costs.

But Durby endorsed the move, telling CityNews: "The captain is responsible for all lives on board."

As for Frankfurt, Air Canada said it was a good diversion option "due to proximity, the fact there are multiple Air Canada flights (and flights by our partner Lufthansa) to Canada each day, and also because the airport can turn aircraft quickly, meaning there would be little time on the ground. As a result, the aircraft was in Frankfurt for approximately an hour."

The flight ended up arriving to Toronto about 75 minutes late.

"While we recognize this was an inconvenience for our customers, the overall reaction was positive, particularly once people understood the dog was in potential danger but safe as a result of the diversion," Air Canada added in its statement.

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