Plane overruns runway, leading to flight cancellations at Region of Waterloo International Airport

BRESLAU — Flights at the region’s airport were cancelled after a Flair airplane from Vancouver overran the runway on Friday morning. Flair Airlines said 134 passengers, in addition to crew, were on board Flight F8501 when the Boeing 737 plane left the runway as it completed its landing at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. Waterloo Regional Police were on scene and said paramedics had treated a passenger with minor physical injuries. All passengers were evacuated from the aircraft, then taken to the terminal by bus, a Flair Airlines spokesperson said. “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement.The airline did not confirm the time the plane landed, but a Flair flight from Vancouver regularly flies into the Breslau airport at 5 a.m. Staff at the Region of Waterloo International Airport confirmed that airport ramps had been closed and flights cancelled due to the landing overrun.All other flights set to arrive or depart on Friday at the Waterloo Region airport were cancelled. Two Flair flights from Calgary and Edmonton, and a WestJet flight from Calgary were cancelled, as well as the 5 a.m. Flair flight from Vancouver on Saturday. Other flights scheduled to arrive Saturday beyond 2:20 p.m. were expected to go ahead on schedule. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is deploying a team of investigators to gather information and assess the situation.The board is an independent federal agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation incidents. The board does not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.The injury reported in the Friday landing is the first at the Breslau airport this year among 128 other safety-related incidents that did not result in anyone getting hurt.These incidents, mostly minor, are recorded by Transport Canada in a national database. They cover all operations at the airport including flight schools, commercial flights, and private flights.Flair Airlines and WestJet have reported a dozen safety-related incidents in 2022 at the Breslau airport. No one was hurt.In January, a Flair flight from Edmonton had to divert to Pearson International Airport Toronto when wing flaps did not fully extend as the jet tried to land in Breslau. The flight landed safely in Toronto with emergency crews standing by. A unit that controls the flaps failed and was replaced before the airplane returned to service. In May, a Flair jetliner arriving from Florida overshot a runway on first approach but went on to land safely. In June, a WestJet flight from Calgary landed safely after hitting a bird while approaching the runway at Breslau.In August, air traffic controllers ordered a homebuilt airplane to stop its takeoff just as a Flair flight from Vancouver was about to land on an intersecting runway. Other incidents include multiple runway approaches called off due to high wind or rain, and an emergency that was declared after a safe landing.Otter Court at Fountain Street North is currently closed, police said. Flair Airlines said the company will not have any additional comment.With files from Jeff OuthitCheyenne Bholla is a Waterloo Region-based reporter at The Record. Reach her via email: cbholla@therecord.com