A stolen plane triggered a major security incident at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Tuesday afternoon, temporarily halting operations and forcing multiple flights to reroute.
Just before 1:30 p.m. local time on July 15, a “security incident” involving a small private plane led to a temporary halt in airport operations, according to a statement from YVR.
The plane, flying within YVR’s airspace, forced nine incoming flights to reroute to different airports.
At approximately 1:45 p.m., following a 39-minute air traffic suspension, the Cessna 172, operated by a single individual, safely landed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) then apprehended the pilot.
In an air traffic control recording obtained by the Vancouver Sun via LiveATC.net, a controller alerted other pilots: “We do have an aircraft that has been hijacked and is in the vicinity of the airport … just in case anything starts heading toward [you], you have the ability to move at