A Porter Airlines flight from Victoria, British Columbia, to Toronto was canceled Thursday after a toddler refused to sit down and buckle their seatbelt before takeoff, stranding an entire planeload of passengers overnight and forcing the flight to depart the following morning instead.

The incident occurred on Porter Airlines flight PD444 after the aircraft had already closed its doors and left the terminal at Victoria International Airport, heading toward the runway for takeoff. According to a statement from Porter Airlines given to CTV News, cabin crew members realized during preparations for departure that the child was standing in their seat rather than sitting and secured, prompting immediate concern from the flight crew.

Neither Parent Nor Crew Could Secure the Child

Both the toddler's parent and Porter cabin crew members made repeated attempts to get the child buckled into their seat, but were ultimately unable to do so. Facing a safety issue that could not be resolved before departure, the crew made the decision to abort takeoff entirely rather than proceed with an unsecured child aboard.

"A young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt," Porter Airlines said in its statement. "The aircraft could not take off in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the passengers disembark."

A Late-Night Cancellation That Stranded Passengers

By the time the plane returned to the gate and the family, along with their........

© International Business Times