Toronto-based Porter Airlines said Sunday the parent and crew repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to secure the child in the seat before returning the plane to the terminal.

By the time the parent and child disembarked it was past 12:30 a.m. when the airport runway closes for the night.

A Porter Airlines flight from Victoria to Toronto was cancelled when a child refused to fasten their seatbelt.

A fellow passenger says the child was frightened rather than badly behaved