Hijacking at Vancouver Airport: Suspect Arrested by Police

Police say a hijacked plane at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) led to delays and flights being diverted Tuesday afternoon.

According to Richmond RCMP, a Cessna 172— small passenger aircraft— was hijacked from the Vancouver Island area and entered near YVR airspace.

Victoria International Airport said the aircraft was operated by the Victoria Flying Club, and the incident was “safely resolved” with the individual involved arrested by the RCMP.

Online flight path data for the light aircraft shows it taking off from Victoria’s airport and landing in Vancouver at 1:43 p.m., after circling around YVR airspace several times.

In a July 15 email to The Epoch Times, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Melissa Lui said Richmond RCMP, the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service, the Lower Mainland Integrated Emergency Response Team, and RCMP Air Services were immediately deployed. “Communication was established with YVR Emergency Operation Center to ensure a coordinated response focused on the safety and security of all involved.”

In a YVR air-traffic recording at about 1:26 p.m. local time, an air traffic controller alerted other aircraft, warning them to “continue looking out the window” for the small plane “in case anything starts heading towards you.”

“We really don’t know what will happen, but this aircraft is just circling overhead,” the controller says a few minutes later. “And we don’t know, of course, their intention.”

According to a press release from the airport, at about 1:30 p.m. there was a temporary grounding of all arriving aircraft as police responded to the security incident.

“During the 39-minute ground stop for arrivals, nine inbound aircraft were diverted to alternate airports,” YVR noted, adding that the airport is working to ensure all passengers reach their intended destinations.

After the plane safely landed at YVR, the suspect was arrested by RCMP officers without incident, Lui said.

Social media videos showed multiple police vehicles on the tarmac behind a single-engine plane, and several officers advancing on the aircraft.

A photo on social media shows a man with a beard dressed in a grey T-shirt and dark pants with his hands up, as three police officers appear to point weapons at him.

YVR later said departing and arriving flights were back to normal, although some delays were possible. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines before coming to the airport.

Lui said an “active and ongoing investigation” continued but no further details could be shared.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Garry Begg expressed relief that the incident ended safely and complimented police and airport personnel.

“Thankful for the professionalism of police, air traffic controllers, airport personnel and everyone who swiftly responded to today’s incident,” Begg posted on social media.

“Relieved that no one was physically harmed, the plane has landed safety and that air travel has safely resumed.”

B.C. Conservative transportation critic and MLA Harman Bhangu called for accountability.

“Flights were delayed, police rushed the runway, and passengers were left anxious,” Bhangu posted on social media. “Though no one was hurt, this exposes serious security gaps! We need clear answers and stronger protections to prevent anything like this from happening again.”

YVR is Canada’s second-busiest airport after Pearson International Airport in Toronto, handling over 26 million passengers last year.

Canada’s first airplane hijacking took place in 1968 when a Texas man named Charles Beasley used a pistol to take over a plane flying from Saint John, N.B., to Toronto. A self-described “black-power militant,” Beasley claimed he was being pursued by the CIA. No one on board was harmed and he received a six-year prison sentence.

In 1971, Patrick Critton took over a flight from Thunder Bay to Toronto, demanding it be flown to Cuba. There he was arrested and spent about eight months in a Cuban jail before moving to Tanzania. He returned to the United States over 20 years later, but in 2001 he was arrested and extradited to Canada, where he was sentenced to five years in jail in 2002. His sentence was reduced for time served and he was released after about one year.

In December 1972, Larry Stanford took over Quebecair Flight 321 as it departed from Wabush, N.L. Pulling out a .22 rifle, the Ontario man forced the crew to take off and fly to Montreal, Ottawa, and then back to Montreal. After 10 hours of negotiations, his mother and a psychiatrist came aboard the plane and persuaded Stanford to surrender. The Quebecair flight he hijacked was carrying 52 passengers and five crew members; no one was injured.

In 1973, Stanford was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released on parole in 1982, but returned to prison in 1984 after hitting his sister in the head several times with a hammer. He received a 15-year sentence for attempted murder, was paroled in 2008, and was convicted again for a violent sexual attack on his neighbour in 2017.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.