A United Airlines flight traveling from Washington Dulles to Paris was diverted to Gander, New Jersey early Monday due to a mechanical issue. However, with no border agents available or unwilling to handle them, more than 240 passengers were forced to spend the night on airport seats and floors until another flight could depart after 14 hours.

Reg Wright, the CEO of Gander International Airport, told CTVNews.ca: “Gander International Airport is an official Canadian entry airport with Canadian Border Services Agency staff present 24/7, including last night. The airport authority does not control the border, so I cannot speak to why passengers were not processed.”

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson for the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) said that agents were on duty but only dealt with the flight crew and allowed them to leave the airport.

They said in an email: "The Canadian Border Services Agency can confirm that although a request to offload passengers was made on site, no appropriate action was taken on it." "The CBSA management is following up to ensure the appropriate action is taken in a timely manner in the future. The CBSA sincerely apologizes to passengers for any inconvenience they experienced."

"Sleeping on the cold tiled floor"

Taylor Cady's children were asleep when she heard the announcement about their flight to Paris being diverted. At Gander Airport, she says they were provided with water bottles around 2:30 a.m. local time, and breakfast from McDonald's and Tim Hortons arrived after 8 a.m.

Cady told CTVNews.ca from Gander: "People were sleeping on the cold tiled floor."

She added that passengers tried to make the best of things, and there was a small soccer game in the lounge and an impromptu performance on the airport piano.

Cady continued: "We tried to sleep, but we were told we would get help from a United agent, and no one came."

United Airlines says 268 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the Boeing 777-200.

Data from FlightAware.com shows the plane suddenly turned around while flying over the North Atlantic and landed in Gander around 1 a.m. local time, about five hours after takeoff.

Passengers waited in the lounge until another United flight was able to leave shortly before 3 p.m. The second flight finally landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport just before midnight in Paris.

A United Airlines spokesperson told CTVNews.ca: "Passengers were required to stay overnight at the airport, as there were no customs services available to process passengers." "United provided food and water to the passengers and complimentary Wi-Fi service is available at Gander Airport lounges."

"Less than ideal conditions"

Canadian air passenger protection regulations require airlines to provide food and drinks, access to communications like Wi-Fi, and accommodation in the event of overnight delays due to mechanical failures.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Transportation Agency told CTVNews.ca: "If passengers believe the airline did not meet its obligations under air passenger protection regulations, they should first send their complaint to the airline in writing." "If their complaint is unresolved or unanswered after 30 days, they can escalate it to the agency using its online form."

According to the CEO of Gander Airport, airport restaurants would have been closed when the last passenger arrived at 2 a.m. local time.

Wright said in an email: "The arrival of unscheduled aircraft late at night on short notice can create service challenges, especially when the airport lounge is not open. United quickly dispatched a relief aircraft, and airport staff did their best to accommodate guests under less than ideal conditions. Most importantly, the aircraft landed safely."

The town of Gander and its airport were immortalized in the musical "Come from Away," which tells how the town came together to help thousands of stranded passengers there after their flights were diverted in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.