Hijacked Plane Finally Makes Landing At Vancouver International Airport

Whenever the news reports a hijacked plane, it’s hard not to think back to the 9/11 attacks.

Fortunately, in the recent case of a plane hijacking in Canada, no one was harmed.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported a plane being hijacked in Vancouver, but an updated report has revealed the plane has landed and the suspect has been arrested.

CBS News reported more details on the hijacking:

Travel at one of Canada’s busiest airports was briefly halted Tuesday after federal police received a report that a small plane had been hijacked, officials said.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the western Canadian province of British Columbia said that at 1:10 p.m. local time they received a report that a Cessna 172 “had been hijacked from the Vancouver Island area and was entering into airspace near Vancouver International Airport.”

“The suspect was the sole occupant of the aircraft,” the statement added.

In a recording of air traffic control posted to liveatc.net, an official can be heard stating: “We have an incident right above our airspace here — a hijacked 172,” the Vancouver Sun reported.

The plane landed in Vancouver at 1:45 p.m. and the “suspect was arrested without incident,” the RCMP said, declining to provide further details.

Plane hijacked at Vancouver International Airport: Richmond RCMP say a Cessna 172 was hijacked, but the suspect safely landed 35 minutes later and was arrested. #crime #bcpoli #cdnpoli #YVR pic.twitter.com/HRAiJtaqyE

— Bob Mackin (@bobmackin) July 15, 2025

Take a look:

Avsec crisis ! A suspect was arrested at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) after allegedly highjacking a light aircraft from the Vancouver Island area on Tuesday (July 15).

Richmond RCMP received the report that a Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP (C-GTLF) had reportedly been… pic.twitter.com/lV9PbTfmRb

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) July 16, 2025

CBC reported that several flights were diverted due to the hijacking:

Nine incoming flights were diverted to other airports and flights were grounded at YVR for about half an hour during the incident, which airport officials described as a “security incident.”

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Flights were disrupted at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday after an alleged ‘hijacking’ that ended with an arrest on the tarmac.

YVR head of communications Stephen Smart said Nav Canada implemented the temporary halt to operations after a small private aircraft was seen circling in the airspace near the airport.

Nav Canada confirmed there was a security incident, but would not say more.

Witness Paul Heeney was driving toward the Fraser River when he noticed a small plane banking to the right. It was flying low, in airspace a small plane wouldn’t usually be in, he said.

He wondered if the pilot was in trouble.

“A few minutes later, we saw a second pass … the plane was making a big clockwise circle,” he said.

According to the Victoria International Airport, the aircraft is operated by the Victoria Flying Club. CBC News has reached out to the flying club for more information.

Some flights grounded, others diverted

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Smart said flights were grounded for 39 minutes, which he said is “not minor” but “could have lasted a lot longer.”

“This is not something that we would experience on a regular basis,” Smart said. However, he added, airport staff rehearse a variety of scenarios regularly to be able to respond to unusual situations.

The airport says flights are now operating as usual; however, there may still be some delays. Travellers are being advised to check their flight status directly with airlines.