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00:00Staff meet extraordinary circumstances with extraordinary efforts.
00:09The airport was able to respond to make sure that all passengers and crew were able to get off of that aircraft.
00:14Emergency plans kick in.
00:16We are in a full route stop.
00:18All the marches are suspended.
00:20Everything is getting deplaned back into the terminals.
00:23Luckily, it's an extremely rare event.
00:26In my 17 years, this is the only time I've had to deal with this.
00:29The good part is, all Katie sold on board, so what?
00:33This is Canada's biggest gateway to the world.
00:37An elite force of 50,000 working non-stop.
00:40A lot of departments that sit here are like marionette puppeteers and make sure that everything happens.
00:46Keeping flights across six continents moving while battling the elements.
00:51That's what we get paid for, to do the impossible.
00:55And facing the unexpected.
00:56There's a medical going on right now on an aircraft.
00:59And they're doing it around the clock to keep Toronto International on track.
01:04Every day, Toronto Pearson serves about 190 destinations from Orlando to Osaka.
01:20It's a mammoth operation.
01:26Only possible thanks to more than 50,000 staff working behind the scenes.
01:32Ensuring that almost 130,000 passengers make their flights on time.
01:38And all their bags go with them.
01:40On top of all this, the airport needs to mind safety and security.
01:52After passengers check in...
01:54Next.
01:56Walk through.
01:57For everyone's safety, the security team screens every single person before they fly.
02:03One second, one second, one second, one second, okay?
02:06Can we do it for each other?
02:08Black bags have been decked in.
02:11Screening officers Jeremy Vargas and Jacqueline Cabrera are trained to spot dangerous and restricted items.
02:17Perfect.
02:18You're good to go.
02:19Thank you so much.
02:20So, I'm basically searching all the bags that come through my reject site.
02:26And I'll be looking one by one on my screen.
02:29Basically, I will have to search for the items that are marked.
02:33Do you have anything sharp or fried inside the bag by any chance?
02:35Nothing?
02:35I don't think so.
02:36Yeah.
02:36Just going to take a quick look.
02:37Yeah, of course.
02:38There's a long list of restricted items that simply can't fly in carry-on bags.
02:44Hello, bonjour, sir.
02:44How are you?
02:46Anything sharp or fragile inside?
02:48Fragile.
02:49There's some honey in there.
02:49Are you traveling?
02:51Oh, honey.
02:53Okay, I've got to see the size of it.
02:56Since a foiled 2006 terrorist plot to use liquid explosives on transatlantic flights, strict limits have been placed on volumes permitted on board.
03:05No, this is way too big.
03:07It's got to be 100 grams or less.
03:08This is 360.
03:10Yeah, so everything that's over 100 grams or 100 mil is not allowed.
03:13Anything sharp, fried inside?
03:15Nothing?
03:17Yeah, the ones are fine.
03:18These are small.
03:18They get tossed into the garbage, unfortunately.
03:26Officers screen more than 55,000 passengers every day.
03:30Thank you very much.
03:31Have a good day.
03:33Here you go.
03:34You're good to go.
03:35No problem.
03:35We've had fish coming through, crabs, lobsters, everything coming through.
03:40Agents may think they've seen everything, but there are still surprises.
03:45Bonjour, whose bag is this?
03:48Bonjour, ma'am.
03:48Do you have any sharp or fragile items in the bag?
03:50I don't believe so.
03:52It's a World War II bag, so.
03:54Okay.
03:55It might be fragile due to age.
03:58I'm just going to give a quick search, okay?
03:59Do you have a lighter in the bag by any chance?
04:01Oh, there might be my uncle's old lighter.
04:04I thought I took it out.
04:05Okay, I'm just going to take a quick look in the bag, if that's okay.
04:09Lighters containing fuel are not allowed on flights.
04:14But this old lighter is empty.
04:17Okay, that was the only concern in your bag.
04:19Other than that, you're good to go, okay?
04:20Have a wonderful day.
04:22The stakes are always high.
04:25Every bag could be a threat.
04:27Awesome.
04:27Thank you very much.
04:28Have a good day.
04:29Screening officers are constantly vigilant.
04:32So jewelry does come out very dark and dense on the x-ray image for us,
04:36and so do certain things like bullets.
04:40So that's why we always look through them as well,
04:42just to see there's nothing else hidden inside.
04:44Grab it on your bin, yes?
04:46For your bag yet?
04:47No, no, no, no.
04:48No charger.
04:49Put it back in your bin.
04:50And then push your bins forward.
04:52Perfect.
04:53Thank you very much.
04:53Have a good day.
04:58The x-ray machines highlight suspicious or unrecognizable shapes.
05:03Is that a cooling fan?
05:04Is that a computer cooling fan in the bag?
05:07No, it's a barbecue.
05:09My brother gave it to me because he said he got it free.
05:12Barbecue.
05:13All right.
05:14For screening officer Mara Smith, there's always something new.
05:19It's a barbecue.
05:21A full barbecue.
05:22Just got to make sure all the parts that are in there.
05:25There's no fire starters in there with it.
05:27It may be the first camping stove she's seen here,
05:31but Mara knows what she's looking for.
05:33Just to make sure that, one, that it's not connected to the tiny travel propane cans,
05:38and two, that there's no fire starters in there.
05:42Those you can't bring in your carry-on or your check bags.
05:45They're flammable, so no go.
05:46Satisfied the stove poses no immediate danger,
05:56Mara does a swab to check for traces of any prohibited or dangerous chemicals.
06:02No alarm, so we're good.
06:04So, next time, this would be a lot safer in your check bags.
06:10Check it in.
06:11Check it as fragile.
06:13Today, the passenger is allowed to carry on their unusual baggage.
06:17There you go.
06:18And your tea.
06:22The most unusual thing?
06:25We've had a skull.
06:29Whose bag?
06:30In winter, adverse weather can make the smooth running of the terminal challenging.
06:38We got the gate.
06:39We got an update on the gate.
06:41In Air Canada Connections...
06:4224.
06:44Let's go.
06:45It's Kashif and the team's job to help passengers and their luggage make connecting flights.
06:50124.
06:51Copy, copy.
06:52Okay.
06:53Today, Kashif's expecting a bumpy ride.
06:57We had a lot of cancellations last night.
07:00Due to the snow that we had yesterday.
07:03At least an extra 2,000 customers that will be traveling tonight on different flights...
07:07...will still be an extra challenge for us today.
07:12When there are mass cancellations, airlines try and sweep up the additional passenger load...
07:17...by using larger planes and adding new flights into the system to give additional support.
07:22It's a logistical jigsaw puzzle.
07:28Especially with all the cancellations from the morning, it's a little slow.
07:32All these in yellow were all cancellations just for domestic.
07:36It's all due to weather.
07:38And then these are all the U.S.
07:39In stock, Air Canada's station operations control, Eli works in tandem with Kashif...
07:46...trying to get ahead of problems with passengers' connections.
07:49I will look at all the inbound flights and I will see the connection times for passengers and bags.
07:55If they don't have space on the next flight, we'll try to hold the aircraft for the outbound flight.
08:03It's more stressful than it looks.
08:05Things can change in an instant.
08:08Air Canada Connection, sorry I'm speaking.
08:09With flights constantly shifting, Air Canada employs 175 staff to keep connections running smoothly.
08:17Connection pretty much touches every part of the airport.
08:21I think if a 777 is fully loaded with 300 people on board, out of those, at least 150 will be connections.
08:27So we really need a dedicated team all across the airport, spread out evenly, in a very strategic manner.
08:34Can you miss connections? Miss connections?
08:37Can you miss connections when you go?
08:38At the heart of the airport, air traffic control is working hard to keep planes arriving and departing smoothly after yesterday's weather cancellations.
08:52Nav Canada guides traffic in one of the largest regions of airspace in the world.
09:00At Toronto, the team handles up to 1,000 takeoffs and landings every day.
09:04It's 2.12 p.m., and the twice-daily Delta flight from Minneapolis is on its final approach.
09:15Lake Chop, 1-6,000 to flight level 2-0, sir.
09:184-5, Toronto, April.
09:194-5, Toronto, April.
09:25Oh!
09:26Oh!
09:28Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!
09:33Tower, you're seeing this airplane just crashing through here?
09:35Delta Airlines just crashed on runway 23.
09:45Its belly is facing the sky.
09:51The 2.12 Delta flight from Minnesota, carrying 76 passengers and four crew, has overturned after landing.
09:59Coming to a halt near the intersection of two runways.
10:09Within two minutes of the plane stopping, the cabin crew hurries passengers off the plane.
10:15And firefighters douse the aircraft in fire-retardant foam.
10:20Oh, my God!
10:22Everyone survives the crash.
10:25Oh, my God!
10:26And attention starts.
10:31We have had an incident here at the airport.
10:34The news is coming in that it sounds like everybody has survived this crash.
10:38So, that is the good news.
10:40We are in a full ground stop.
10:43All flights that are on the airfield currently will be returning to KB.
10:47We are still willing to find out whether we are going to be operating.
10:51We feel this in the middle of the half hour.
10:52I need people in dispense right away, please.
10:59Toronto Operations, Kevin speaking.
11:00Although the incident did not involve an Air Canada plane, Stock, their Station Operations Control Centre, must deal with the fallout.
11:08There has been a one alpha that is a crash here on the base.
11:13Right now, we don't really have very much information.
11:16The airport authority and Transport Canada have put Toronto into a ground stop to make sure that everybody is safe on the grounds.
11:27A ground stop means that no planes can land, take off, or taxi, bringing the airport to a complete standstill.
11:33Anything that is due to depart now, which is ready to board and ready to go, everything is getting de-planed back into the terminals.
11:40Oh, wow.
11:40So, it's a complete ground stop for us.
11:42We do not know the delicacy and the seriousness of the situation as of now, but I'll keep you guys posted on that.
11:48So, it's a total stop right now.
11:54When ground stop happens, either aircrafts are circling the airport or they are diverting to other stations.
12:02We just have to wait and see.
12:04Every flight that was due to take off is now returning to the terminal, stretching the airport's capacity to its limit.
12:12We've never had a situation like this before.
12:15At least not when I was here.
12:18May we have your attention, please.
12:21All departures are suspended.
12:24Further information will be communicated to you as soon as it becomes available.
12:28Not thank you for your patience.
12:38People are anxious.
12:41I'm sure they do have questions, so they might be approaching our Air Canada agents.
12:44Shutting down Canada's busiest airport has major consequences, both for Toronto and around the world.
12:53Up to 1,000 flights were due to be handled here today.
12:56The gates area can only hold a certain amount of customers at a certain time.
13:01It is already busy.
13:02It's only going to get busier.
13:05It is a unique experience.
13:07At this point, the entire airport has come down to a standstill.
13:10In stock, the team are attempting to manage the overflowing terminals by encouraging passengers to return home and await further news.
13:25The last thing we want is this airport stranded with people.
13:28The airport should be busing with people, but the people should be moving around.
13:31That's the whole idea.
13:33Do we know how long this is going to be?
13:35No, nothing.
13:36Nothing.
13:36Okay.
13:37But their problems are literally piling up.
13:40Luggage from the grounded flights is being returned to the terminal.
13:55Everything that's going back, I need full support.
13:58Based on if we need help inside the bag room, Heidi will communicate with Claire.
14:02I need all hands on deck for this one, guys.
14:04The bag room is where Air Canada stores luggage already checked in or connecting from another flight.
14:12I'm expecting for one flight 328 bags, and the second flight is going to be 270 bags.
14:18So that's way more than basically 500 bags.
14:22It's almost like 600 bags.
14:23When an Air Canada flight gets cancelled, passengers are automatically rebooked,
14:28and their luggage gets re-tagged, ready to be loaded onto the new plane.
14:32We need to get a special charge.
14:34But with nothing taking off, it's creating a log jam.
14:41For domestic, all the four carousels, all the four claim feeds, number one, two, three, and four, will be used.
14:46For international, five, six, and seven.
14:49So just make sure our team's ready inside and outside on that.
14:53Eight, nine, and ten will be the most heavy hitters.
14:55They're just going to get slammed.
14:57With no room to be stored, thousands of bags need to be reunited with their owners.
15:02Attention all runners.
15:04Attention all runners.
15:07And the connections team is being redeployed to help.
15:10There's no flights that are coming in or out of Toronto, so what we're doing is sending all our support to the baggage hall.
15:18With so many flights cancelled, growing numbers of passengers are stranded, putting the system under increasing strain.
15:27How many people?
15:29I don't have a number.
15:30It could be in thousands.
15:32Because multiple flights are cancelling, so it could be in thousands.
15:39We're in Toronto.
15:41We just landed.
15:44Our plane crashed.
15:47Fire deferment's on site.
15:50Upside down.
15:51Passenger footage of the accident is going viral.
16:01How quickly it goes down social media is unbelievable.
16:06The crash where it happened, it's actually at the intersection of the two longest runways in Toronto.
16:12So based on that, it's going to be a gridlock.
16:15Toronto Pearson has five runways, servicing up to 1,000 flights a day.
16:20The Delta incident has blocked the two longest runways, essential for long-haul traffic.
16:26Connection stock, Eli speaking.
16:29In stock, Air Canada Station Operations Control, Eli's focus is on how the complete airport shutdown is affecting their planned schedule.
16:37I've been here for roughly three years.
16:39To see everything delay and cancel, we've never had that before.
16:44So it is stressful.
16:45There's a lot of factors we can't control, so we've just got to take it one step at a time.
16:50Planes typically carry 5% contingency fuel for bad weather or air traffic delays.
16:59But to avoid running low on fuel, many of the flights circling above Toronto are being diverted to alternative airports, such as Montreal and Ottawa, around 200 and 300 miles away.
17:12They will come back to Toronto only after when the airport operations open up.
17:17For now, we do not have any information on it.
17:22In my 17 years, luckily, this is the only time I've had to deal with this.
17:25I haven't had a situation of this nature.
17:28We're trained on how to handle this.
17:30We go through training every year to make sure that we do know how to handle it.
17:32And it's really just remaining calm to make sure that everybody else in the room and all the other managers remain calm at the same time.
17:38All Toronto Airport staff take part in regular simulated emergency response training to ensure they can calmly handle the fallout of any major incident, like today's crash.
17:48We're trained to handle every possible scenario that could come up.
17:57And so anytime anything like that happens, it's just a routine operation.
18:00And we know what to do and where to place the vehicles and how to run the whole scenario.
18:0595% of the time, it's pretty routine operations.
18:07And then 5% of the time, the stress level goes up a little bit.
18:11But we're all very capable of handling that kind of stress.
18:14That's what we're here for.
18:15For the airport's fire crews, their constant state of preparedness for any airfield emergency is grounded in regular training and a strict daily routine.
18:29So this is our self-contained breathing apparatus.
18:33So this is what allows us to enter an ideal age environment, or an environment that's immediately dangerous to life or health.
18:39Firefighter Shane McLea starts every shift by checking his fire engine survival and rescue tools.
18:49So at Pearson, we're very lucky to have a number of hydraulic cutters and spreaders.
18:55These are what's commonly referred to as the jaws of life.
18:59Check my battery, make sure that it's full.
19:02We're just able to grab and go.
19:03So.
19:03These tools are critical, and we rely on them in many life and death situations.
19:17I'm also trying to identify any wear or tear or any rust spots or just the general cleanliness and operability of the tools.
19:24This is why we do our morning inspection.
19:30It's nothing worse than arriving on scene and assuming that everything's good to go.
19:34And then in the moment, you realize that maybe your saw doesn't work.
19:37I'm going to take the time now, set myself up for success, and then hopefully we'll have a good day.
19:42So this is an absorbent.
19:45We'll use that case of a fuel spill.
19:48This is something that we'll put down, which will then contain the liquid, prevent any runoff.
19:53You can scoop it up and deal with it appropriately from there.
19:57There's another one of our most important supplies.
20:02Those are our medical supplies.
20:03All the airport's firefighters are trained emergency medical responders with the skills to resuscitate and maintain life.
20:11So these are our medical bags.
20:13One is generally our airway bag, and the other is our trauma or general medical bag.
20:18It's best to think about this as a big toolbox with wheels.
20:21When you need to use that particular item, it's generally the best tool for the job.
20:25So everything here is pretty well crucial.
20:28Checks done.
20:29If an emergency occurs, Red 11 is ready for action.
20:35Breakfast.
20:36In Air Canada Operations Control, everything is still on standby.
20:44As of right now, we're on a pause.
20:46So we're just waiting to get information.
20:48But I have a feeling that we're going to hear news that we're going to be going back into the operation
20:52and servicing all of the aircrafts from the south side of the airport.
20:56The south side of the airport has two runways, approximately two miles from the crash,
21:03which could be used to allow the airport to reopen.
21:07But for now, things are eerily quiet.
21:11There's no movement at the airport at the moment.
21:14Like, all these three gates, four gates, they would be occupied at the moment with our wide-body aircraft.
21:18On a normal day, thousands of people traveling from the U.S. come through this part of the airport.
21:25It's actually weird to see.
21:28Normally, this hallway would be packed.
21:30These are all arrivals from U.S. that would come up and go on that corridor.
21:34It's very weird.
21:36I'm seeing something like this for the first time.
21:40Arrivals may be empty, but despite requests to stay at home,
21:43people are still trying to check in for outbound flights.
21:46Are we letting passengers drop off their bags?
21:49No.
21:49Not at all?
21:50Because there's no, nothing is operational at the moment.
21:52It might change, but no dropping off bags.
21:56Customers are frustrated.
21:58They are understanding of the situation.
22:00I'm sure it's unique for them as well.
22:02It is not an easy spot to be in, but we're trying to stay calm,
22:06try to understand the step in the shoes, and try to assist wherever we can.
22:10For now, Kashif and his team must placate customers
22:13as things remain at a standstill in the terminal.
22:22The world is still catching up with events at Toronto Airport.
22:26Breaking news at this hour,
22:28the Toronto Pearson International Airport has confirmed
22:31there is some sort of incident involving a Delta Airlines plane
22:34that arrived from Minneapolis.
22:36It is very unfortunate what happened at the airport today.
22:42But the good part is, all 80 souls on board survived.
22:47The airport prepares regularly to deal with emergencies.
22:53For Toronto Pearson's firefighters,
22:56a $22 million upgrade in recent years
22:58means they've been training with state-of-the-art facilities,
23:02including a lifelike mock-up aircraft built to burn.
23:07It's got galley fires, cargo fires, overhead bin fires,
23:11so lots of cool training exercises for us
23:13and a whole bunch of the other airports that come and train here.
23:15Like all airport staff,
23:17firefighters train regularly to be prepared for any emergency.
23:21There's different fires, so there's two in the cargo,
23:26there's four in the passenger where we have a roll-up,
23:28the cockpit, the galley, and the overhead bin.
23:31So we'll show you each one of those fires.
23:33The fire crew will split into two.
23:35Red 1 will handle the plane's exterior fires,
23:38while Red 2 will tackle the blaze inside.
23:41Red 2, I don't want you to exceed a quarter tank of usage,
23:44so I want to maintain three-quarter tank of water in Red 2
23:48in case we catch a live event, we have to peel out of here.
23:51All right, that makes sense.
23:53Even in training,
23:54these firefighters have to be ready to drop everything.
23:58The fires in the simulator are triggered by a computer system,
24:04controlled today by firefighter Victoria Lam.
24:08This panel is what operates everything that we see,
24:11so as I see my crews put water down,
24:14I can then shut fires down to simulate them
24:16actually extinguishing the fire, which is kind of cool.
24:19So we can all control that from here.
24:21Exercise, exercise, exercise.
24:24This is the tower with a 1L book.
24:26Go for Red 1.
24:28We've got a working fire on all sides of the aircraft.
24:30We're going to be positioning on the starboard tail for fire attack,
24:34going in the offensive mode for fire attack.
24:38This specialist Panther fire truck
24:40is designed to pump and roll.
24:42Crewed by just one firefighter,
24:44they can drive, aim, and fight the flames simultaneously.
24:50In a wheel assembly fire,
24:53you have fuel on the ground as well.
24:56Its roof turret can shoot water
24:58from a distance of 200 to 300 feet.
25:01Ideal for first response
25:03at the scene of a runway accident.
25:05It's out, it's out.
25:12So the crews have suppressed the exterior fires.
25:15They're going to get ready to make entry.
25:17Cabin fires are lit.
25:21Hydro 11, move forward, grab a secondary line.
25:24Go ahead, 2-1.
25:25And Red 2 team enters the simulated aircraft.
25:29I have.
25:30Where darkness mimics the restricted visibility
25:32caused by thick clouds of smoke.
25:35Their job now is primary search
25:37and any fire control that might be existing inside.
25:42Firefighters must be ready to confront every kind of fire,
25:46from roaring jet fuel blazes to cabin flashovers.
25:51As heat builds, trapped smoke and gases
25:54can reach a point where they ignite on their own.
25:57This is flashover.
26:01They've got a fire up in the cockpit area.
26:04So they're attacking that as we speak
26:06and they're searching for victims.
26:10So they're looking for people that might be trapped,
26:13disoriented or down in there.
26:16That's their main objective right now.
26:18This technology gets the firefighters
26:20the closest they can be
26:21to a real aircraft cockpit fire
26:23without being in an actual emergency.
26:28Okay, roger, 2-1.
26:30I copy that you've got a cockpit galley fire.
26:32Just confirmed.
26:33Did you get primary complete?
26:39Okay, roger.
26:42Command acknowledged.
26:43Get home.
26:44This kind of training ensures a high level of preparedness
26:47for all the airport's fire teams.
26:49Aircraft incidents don't happen every day
26:53and plane crashes don't happen very often.
26:54But we want to be there and be prepared
26:56for if there is an incident
26:58that we can respond as best as possible.
27:01In the terminal,
27:03Air Canada's Station Operations Control Team
27:05are seeing the ramifications of today's rare event
27:08ripple through the airport and beyond.
27:10Guys, guys, Montreal went in a ground stop
27:13due to gridlock.
27:14There were flights that were due to come to Toronto
27:17and I've been diverted to Montreal.
27:19Toronto Pearson's closure
27:20is starting to disrupt other airports.
27:23Now Montreal is actually going in a gridlock position
27:26and they are in a ground stop
27:27because of extra traffic on it.
27:29When a ground stop is implemented,
27:32each flight is assessed by the captain
27:34and the flight dispatcher,
27:36determining whether they can hold,
27:38return to origin,
27:39or divert to another airport.
27:41So I'm just looking at flight awareness.
27:43So I see the entire airspace has been cleared out.
27:47Montreal's international airport,
27:49over 300 miles away,
27:50is now also being forced to divert flights.
27:54Eli will direct you
27:55based on what meeting we have downstairs.
27:57I will contact the teams as well.
28:00The ground teams in Toronto
28:01can only hope that the airport authority
28:03soon decides it's safe to reopen.
28:06Why JP? Let's recall.
28:08Hey, how's it going?
28:09So they can start allowing flights to land.
28:12All right, thank you. Bye.
28:14The plan is still, everything that is cancelled
28:17will remain cancelled.
28:19And we will be possibly coming back
28:21with a very, very, very small schedule.
28:24Hearing that we might resume the ops,
28:31we're, yes, just hold on tight.
28:33I'll have more information.
28:35Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
28:36Thanks, bye.
28:38For now, the entire airport
28:40still remains in limbo.
28:41We're working with the SOC team
28:46and see what needs to be prioritised first.
28:50In stock, Air Canada's Station Operations Control,
28:54they're preparing for what they hope
28:56will be a partial reopening of the airport
28:58using the south runways.
29:00I'll let you know what's been released,
29:01what's the wheels of time on that,
29:03what's the touchdown in Toronto,
29:04what runways.
29:05For now, for the arrivals,
29:06we are using 24 right.
29:08Keep the communication flowing,
29:09and I'm here to help and support.
29:11Let me know.
29:12There is a strong possibility
29:14that we could be reopening the airport,
29:17and we're going to have
29:17all of our displaced aircraft come back in,
29:20so everybody's ramping back up.
29:22There is a little bit of figuring it out as we go,
29:26but we always have a plan.
29:28Communicating with the airport,
29:30our fuelers, our maintenance team,
29:32our cargo team,
29:33making sure that we get these passengers in,
29:35get them offloaded,
29:36and or get them home to their loved ones.
29:40Teams in stock and across the airport
29:42have been working under exceptional circumstances,
29:45even though no aircraft have been moving.
29:49But usually, Toronto Pearson has planes flying 24 hours a day,
29:54365 days a year.
29:57Ground maintenance, 680.
29:58And on a normal day,
30:00680 approved as requested,
30:02hold short,
30:02plow runway 0, 690.
30:04The airfield maintenance team work round the clock
30:06to keep runways safe to use
30:08and clear of dangerous debris.
30:11680, receive five shot.
30:13We are headed out onto the airfield.
30:15We are going to be looking for any loose objects,
30:19what we call FOD,
30:20or foreign object debris,
30:22on our airfield.
30:23That'll make a mess of things.
30:24A typical inspection would be like this one,
30:28conducted on another day
30:29in the aftermath of a heavy snowstorm.
30:33I believe I've got four reflectors that are down
30:36that I'd like to get out to.
30:38When the snow gets over the top of them,
30:42unfortunately, the plows do go by
30:44and do wind up hitting them.
30:46Unfortunately,
30:47either being run over by an aircraft
30:48or being ingested into an engine,
30:51it can be catastrophic.
30:54Jet engines don't like anything
30:55but air and fuel going into them.
30:58There are different colored lights and reflectors
31:00mapping out all the airport's runway,
31:03taxiway,
31:03and apron areas.
31:04These are the indicators
31:06as to where you are on the airfield.
31:10They do their best to make it simple and uniform
31:13so that a pilot can come from Cairo to Toronto
31:18and still understand exactly where he or she
31:21is within the airfield.
31:24And I love it.
31:25I love being out here.
31:28Right now,
31:29Don is checking out the blue reflectors,
31:31which indicate the edge of the taxiway.
31:33Any that are lying on the ground
31:35are seen as foreign object debris or FOD.
31:40It's very easy to kind of catch
31:42where the reflectors are down.
31:45As you can see,
31:46they're standing up straight.
31:49And then we have this,
31:51which has just been knocked off of its mount.
31:53So I'm hopefully going to be able to put it back on its mount
31:58and then it is no longer a piece of pod.
32:00And it is completely broken.
32:10The collar has been taken off.
32:13So just not going to work.
32:16Okay.
32:16Main is 680, kilo short of Juliet.
32:22If I can go westbound on Juliet,
32:25got three or four reflectors that are down.
32:27I'll collect them and then I'll be off
32:28at the West Juliet access road and we'll inform you.
32:32As Don is working on an active airfield,
32:35he's in constant contact with air traffic control
32:38to ensure safe movement around the runways.
32:41Proceed Juliet, hold short runway 15 right for now.
32:44All right.
32:45Proceeding Juliet, holding short runway 15 right for now.
32:48Main is 680.
32:51I'm approaching the runway.
32:53I know where my hold point is,
32:55my hold short point is.
32:56Air 36, 48 ground taxi, Alfa Hotel.
33:00That's why he had us holding short of 15 right.
33:04I like to be really far back
33:05when I know there is an aircraft coming.
33:09Air 36, 48 ground taxi, Alfa Hotel.
33:11Main is 680, cross runway 15 right.
33:13Crossing 15 right, main is 680.
33:16With the runway cleared across, Don gets back to it.
33:20So unfortunately, this one is completely destroyed.
33:23It needs to be twisted into the ground.
33:27But we can go back, remove this, fix this part up,
33:31and then with ease,
33:33we will be able to put the reflector back on it.
33:35As a damaged reflector takes time to repair,
33:43Don must think on his feet,
33:46Don't know if that one would actually work here.
33:50And come up with temporary solutions.
33:53Perfect.
33:54We actually fixed one.
33:56I love it.
33:57Ground meeting is 680.
34:01We've cleaned up the reflectors.
34:03Thank you, sir.
34:05680, okay.
34:06And you're off the field then, eh?
34:07Affirm, sir.
34:08Good.
34:09It is 100% never-ending.
34:13And yet, still fun.
34:19Inside the terminal, there's good news.
34:21Passengers are on the move,
34:23as the airport has officially reopened.
34:25All sectors are resuming.
34:30They're starting to board customers.
34:32They're starting to process customers through security.
34:34So it looks like things are opening up.
34:37About three hours of the impact that we had.
34:428992, is that cancelled?
34:458992?
34:45Yeah.
34:47Yes, 8992 is cancelled.
34:49In stock, the team is preparing for the ground stop to be lifted
34:53and air traffic control to begin landing aircraft.
34:57We still don't know what's coming and when it's coming,
34:59but we know that some flights are coming back shortly.
35:03Flights were diverted after the crash,
35:05and many of them are now making their way back to Toronto,
35:09some with passengers expecting to connect to other destinations.
35:14The connections are going to be awful.
35:15That means that the rework desks are going to be swamped.
35:18So we have a very busy evening.
35:20Once the runways reopen, the heat will be on
35:24to manage the movement of flights and people
35:26through Canada's busiest airport.
35:35Heathrow 857 on the radar, 10 minutes out.
35:38They're saying gate 171.
35:4071.
35:41Yeah.
35:41Thanks.
35:42Thanks, Brian.
35:43Air Canada Station Operations Control is back in business,
35:47with flights preparing to depart and land.
35:49So initially, 857 from Heathrow was supposed to be diverted to Montreal,
35:55but I think since we were opening up the airport back into business,
35:59857 is coming straight into Toronto.
36:02We just got the information from our dispatch team in Stock Centre.
36:04All hands on deck from our team.
36:06They're all prepared for this.
36:08You're going to do Heathrow inbound.
36:11Stand by for the gate.
36:12London Heathrow 857 on route, 10 minutes to touchdown.
36:16Can somebody swing by gate 171 and have a look into the ground conditions there, please?
36:21This plane from Heathrow will be the first Air Canada flight to land at Toronto Pearson
36:26since 2.12 this afternoon.
36:31London Heathrow 857 heading to the gate now.
36:34So that's our first big bird that landed.
36:40The safe landing signals the start of a busy evening for Stock.
36:44International is open, domestic is open, so that means we're moving.
36:47As a rapidly evolving schedule of flights is cleared to land and take off from Toronto's south runways.
36:53We just saw a plane take off that was Cathay Pacific going to Hong Kong.
36:57So the big birds are taking their routes back into Toronto.
37:00The connections team is determined to salvage some winds for incoming passengers before their shift ends.
37:07We're trying to get a hold for San Jose.
37:10Let's see if you're able to get a hold.
37:12We'll try to run there.
37:13Kashif has his eye on a delayed arrival from Vancouver
37:16that's due to connect with a flight to San Jose in Costa Rica.
37:20He's coming to Toronto in about 40 minutes.
37:24And there's 16 customers that are trying to connect.
37:29Hey Kashif.
37:29Eli, just looking at 104 Vancouver that was diverted to Montreal.
37:34Is there any way we can get a hold for them?
37:36Eli needs permission from the passenger movement team to hold the flight,
37:41delaying its departure to give the connecting passengers a chance to make it.
37:45Are we predicting this to delay any further?
37:48Oh, okay.
37:51All right.
37:52Thought I'd ask.
37:53Bye.
37:55It's already delayed two hours.
37:58They're not going to delay it another 45, 50 minutes.
38:01The next available San Jose flight is in 48 hours.
38:05So it looks like all 16 passengers will be stranded in Toronto.
38:09Hey, Eli.
38:13A quick turn of events.
38:15SDO delayed by 30 minutes for crew safety checks.
38:19That's hilarious.
38:20It is hilarious.
38:22The flight they told me I couldn't get a hold on ended up delaying by 30 minutes.
38:26So now the passengers have 24 minutes.
38:2924 minutes is still a little rocky, but we'll try to run the passengers regardless.
38:34So we have the boards ready.
38:35They have the details for our customers so they know which gate they're going to.
38:40And that's the flight details.
38:41So let's get going to the gate.
38:45Which, uh, 24?
38:46Yeah.
38:48So when we meet the flight, we're going to yell out for these passengers specifically.
38:53So then we can quickly rush them to the gate as best as we can.
38:59Air Canada flight 104 from Vancouver approaches the gate.
39:03The clock is ticking.
39:07Every minute matters.
39:08Oh, it's cold.
39:10Agam, can I have an update on the bags, please?
39:129.57.
39:13The connections team has just over 20 minutes to fast track the 16 passengers and their bags
39:18to the San Jose flight.
39:20Just want to make sure we have the belt on.
39:22We've got around 12 hot connection bags inbound from Vancouver coming to the gate.
39:27Do you think you can make an announcement for any San Jose passengers?
39:30Agam, what's the ET of the bags at the gate, 178?
39:35Three minutes, copy that.
39:36Rampleat has been advised.
39:37They're trying to put the belt on.
39:38So just be there at the gate.
39:39Once everything is all locked up, do let me know, please.
39:41And thank you.
39:42The bags are on the move.
39:45San Jose connection.
39:46Anybody go into San Jose?
39:48Now the team need to run the 16 passengers across the airport.
39:52If they can find them.
39:54Go to San Jose.
39:55San Jose?
39:56Get down on your bus cart, please.
39:57Okay, just have a seat on one of the carts here.
39:59Yeah, just have a seat on any of the carts.
40:00You can have a seat on the golf cart here.
40:03Any connections to San Jose?
40:05I think that golf cart is almost full.
40:08We've got all the customers on the golf cart, so let's get going.
40:14Time is ticking.
40:17It's a 15-minute trip to the International Gate, where the plane is almost ready to depart.
40:23Bridge is on.
40:24All they need to do is put the bags on, and off they go from there on.
40:27From snow all the way down to sunshine and lollipops.
40:33We just had the gate.
40:34It's gate 78.
40:35They are the last ones to board.
40:37So this is the gate for you guys, okay?
40:40Have a safe journey, okay?
40:41Looks like they're getting on, so...
40:43That will be the last one.
40:45They're the last two.
40:46I think it should be...
40:46We got one minute in the back pocket at the end.
40:49It's a big relief.
40:50Well done, Mini.
40:52Good job.
40:53Today, Toronto faced every airport's worst nightmare.
41:02Oh, my God.
41:04But it prepares for exactly this scenario.
41:08They have overcome severe disruption.
41:12Now they have to get back to normal operations.
41:17Everything is back to life again.
41:19We have planes coming in, we have customers coming in, we need to move them up.
41:23So the response today, my feelings are that it has been tremendous.
41:29The airport was able to respond to make sure that all passengers and crew were able to get off of that aircraft.
41:36And now they've been able to reopen the airport for departures and arrivals.
41:41That, to me, is just unbelievable.
41:45It's been an extremely challenging day with our passengers being diverted.
41:49You're doing a fabulous job, keep it up.
41:50Thank you very much for everything you do, day in, day out.
41:53Thank you, buddy.
41:53Thank you, buddy.
41:56Thank you, Kevin.
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