（中央社蒙特婁20日綜合外電報導）加拿大廣播公司新聞網（CBC News）報導，聯合航空公司一架班機發生緊急醫療狀況及機械故障問題，導致乘客被迫待在暖氣不足的飛機上，受困酷寒加拿大機場跑道大約16小時。
聯合航空公司（United Airlines）179號班機昨夜搭載大約250名乘客，從美國新澤西州紐瓦克（Newark）飛往香港。
航空公司告訴加拿大廣播公司，途中一名乘客突然身體出狀況，使得班機在加拿大東岸紐芬蘭-拉布拉多省（Newfoundland and Labrador）鵝灣（Goose Bay）機場緊急降落。
但醫護人員將這名乘客送醫後，這架飛機卻無法起飛，據報是因為氣溫攝氏零下30度，冷到讓一道門凍壞。
因為深夜沒有海關人員值班，這些乘客被迫待在機上，許多人在空服員提供的薄毯下受凍顫抖。
而食物及飲水在近10小時苦難後幾乎用盡，機場人員才終於帶加拿大最大速食連鎖店「提姆霍頓」（Tim Hortons）食物抵達。提姆霍頓以咖啡和甜甜圈聞名。
法新社透過電話聯繫上的乘客杜特（Sonjay Dutt）表示，機上太冷，食物與咖啡送來後仍無法安撫氣急敗壞的乘客。
救援班機今天上午抵達鵝灣，乘客搭巴士轉搭這架飛機後，飛機下午啟程返回紐瓦克機場。
加拿大東部及美國東北部多數地區受天寒地凍所苦，大雪導致數以十計航班取消。
在結束聯合航空這場耗時近一天的折磨旅程後，杜特推文說：「真是超級漫長的一天。」（譯者：侯文婷/核稿：盧映孜）
A United Airlines plane diverted to Goose Bay Airport in Labrador Saturday night resulted in a lengthy stay on the tarmac, according to passengers who were stranded on the aircraft.
After a wait of about 16 hours, a rescue plane touched down around noon local time, and travellers reported they were transported to the alternate plane by bus after 2 p.m. AT.
The plane took off for Newark Liberty International Airport shortly before 4 p.m.
In a statement to CBC News, the airline says United Flight 179 travelling from Newark, N.J., to Hong Kong was originally diverted to Goose Bay, N.L., due to medical emergency, where medical personnel met the plane and brought the passenger to hospital.
However, a mechanical issue prevented the plane from taking off again. Passengers were not able to leave the aircraft because customs officers were not available overnight, United said.
The airline told CBC News 250 passengers were on board.
The airline believes cold weather caused a door on the plane to malfunction, preventing takeoff. Happy Valley-Goose Bay is currently grappling with an extreme cold warning issued by Environment Canada, with temperatures dipping below -30 C.
Communication poor, passenger says
Temperatures on the plane quickly plummeted to “uncomfortable” levels, said passenger Sonjay Dutt, a professional wrestler en route to Hong Kong for a show.
Crew handed out blankets, but according to Dutt, they were able to offer little else to assuage mounting anger from passengers.
“Communication could be better,” Dutt said in a phone call from the plane. Passengers were told at the start of the delay that a rescue flight had already departed to return them to Newark. An update wasn’t announced until about five hours later, he said.
They were also told the airport didn’t have the customs capacity to handle hundreds of passengers, Dutt added.
Dutt also said food and water was running low until about 10 hours into the delay, when officials delivered Tim Hortons to hungry travellers.
Most appreciated the gesture, Dutt said, but reaction to the offering was muted.
“I think people are so fed up, and so at their wits’ end, that even the sight of food didn’t get everyone up and cheering.”
Other passengers on board tweeted out complaints to United, wondering why they had been told a replacement plane was in the air and were not informed of further delays. Dutt said a pilot told passengers to email United’s CEO with complaints about communication practices.
A Twitter account sprang up Sunday morning poking fun at the situation.
In its statement Sunday morning, United said an alternative aircraft had been sent to Goose Bay to fly passengers back to Newark if mechanics are unable to fix the malfunctioning door.
Passengers reported that rescue plane touched down around noon and they waited another two hours to be transported to the alternate plane by bus.
The airline said it had food delivered to the plane and the second aircraft would provide more meals for passengers.
United said it apologizes to its customers and and would do everything possible to assist them during the delay.