Flair Airlines passenger recounts botched landing in Region of Waterloo
Commercial flights in and out of Region of Waterloo International Airport were cancelled Friday after a Flair Airlines plane carrying 140 people overran the runway during landing.
A spokesperson for Flair Airlines says flight F8 501 from Vancouver to Kitchener-Waterloo “exited the runway at the end of its landing.”
According to a flight tracker, the plane landed around 6:25 a.m.
The airline says there were no injuries reported, and passengers were taken to the terminal by bus.
There were 134 passengers and six crew members on board the Boeing 737.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has been deployed to investigate.
'OOPS, WE MISSED THE RUNWAY'
One of those passengers, Kitchener resident Paul Anstett, says he was taking the red-eye flight home after being in Vancouver for business.
Anstett says he was looking out the window of the aircraft and noticed something felt different when it was time to land.
Passengers of Flair Airlines flight F8 501 disembark onto grass after a botched landing at Region of Waterloo International Airport on Nov. 25, 2022. (Amanda Ramnarine/Submitted)
“The plane was dancing on the runway a bit. It was moving side to side,” he told CTV News.
Anstett says even though the landing felt “a little bouncy” most passengers around him seemed calm and there was no screaming or panic inside the cabin.
“Oops, we missed the runway,” Anstett said. "I looked at the person next to me, and I said, ‘we’re in the grass.’”
He says he is relieved the field where they landed was level and is grateful no one was injured.
As of noon Friday, the plane remains on the grass at the airport. (Submitted/Lou Ferrigno)
According to Anstett, passengers were able to take their personal carry-on luggage from inside the cabin, but checked luggage was not unloaded from the plane.
“So, they’re either going to be delivering [it], or we’ve got to go pick it up,” he said.
Anstett, who says he travels out west a few times a year, said the experience won’t deter him from flying with Flair Airlines again. But he joked that there are some things the upstart budget airline could improve upon.
“I just received a text message from Flair asking me ‘how was my Flair experience today’ and I kind of laughed at that. I am probably going to respond and say the experience was fine but it might be nice if I was brought to the terminal instead of the field next time,” he said.
Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board arrived at the airport around 9:30 a.m.
At this point it remains unclear what caused the plane to leave the runway.
The Region of Waterloo International Airport was closed to commercial traffic for the rest of the day Friday. Other Flair Airlines flights arriving and departing from YKF, as well as two West Jet flights, were cancelled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.