"Hijacked" small airplane delays & diverts flights at Vancouver airport

This story was updated on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:54 p.m. EST

Flights at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) were temporarily halted on Tuesday afternoon (July 15) after a small passenger aircraft was allegedly "hijacked" and landed, reports say.

According to a statement from YVR, the situation involved a private aircraft and took place shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time.

The incident led to a 39-minute ground stop for arrivals, the airport wrote on its X social media platform.

The aircraft landed without incident and one individual was arrested, CBC News reports.

The RCMP reported receiving information about a Cessna 172 that was allegedly "hijacked" from Vancouver Island and approaching YVR airspace, CBC reports.

In response, police, along with dogs and aerial support, were deployed.

By 1:45 p.m., the plane had landed, and police arrested the sole occupant on board, reports say.

The Vancouver Sun is reporting that the plane was hijacked at the Victoria Flying Club.

The airport says flights are now operating as usual. However, disruptions are expected.  

Nine inbound aircraft were also diverted to different airports during the incident, a YVR spokesperson told the Vancouver Sun.

The Vancouver airport website shows a number of delays for arrivals and departures. Travellers are being advised to check their flight status directly with airlines.

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