Air Canada Pilot Turns Plane Around to Save a Dog

An Air Canada pilot made the not-so-unusual choice to divert the flight, but for a very unusual reason – the dog in the cargo bay was in trouble.

The pilot noticed the problem as the plane was about the head over the Atlantic Ocean, an area where temperatures drop. The pilot then transferred the dog to another plane.

The Sunday flight from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Toronto, Canada, and was diverted to Frankfurt, Germany. 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.

En route, however, the unidentified pilot got an indicator that one of the heaters in the cargo hold had malfunctioned.

The well-being of one little dog might not amount to much for some people, especially weighed against the smooth operation of international air travel – but fortunately there are still folks, like this Air Canada pilot, who know all lives are lives worth saving.

“As soon as the crew became aware of the temperature issue, the captain grew rightfully concerned for the dog’s comfort and well-being”, Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told CNN.

“It’s my dog, it’s like my child”, said Kontorovich. “It’s everything to me”, his happy owner said.

“The captain is responsble for all lives on board, whether it’s human or K-9”, he concluded.

The decision cost the airline up to $10,000 in fuel and landing fees and caused a 75-minute delay for the approximately 260 passengers, but if not for the pilot’s actions, Simba likely would have frozen to death.