UAE offers condolences to Canada, US over victims of aircraft, fire truck crash

The deadly incident led to the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot and injuries to passengers of several nationalities

  • PUBLISHED: Mon 23 Mar 2026, 8:19 PM

The UAE expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with Canada and the United States following a collision involving an Air Canada Express aircraft and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

The deadly incident led to the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot and injuries to passengers of several nationalities.

The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 plane, operated by its partner Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal, based on a preliminary passenger list that remained subject to confirmation.

The aircraft struck the fire vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph), said flight tracking website Flightradar24, which last recorded data at 11.37 pm ET (0337 GMT).

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) conveyed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, as well as to the government and people of Canada over this tragedy, wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured.