Air Canada flight returns to YLW terminal after mechanical issue

A scheduled Air Canada flight from Kelowna to Vancouver on Friday morning did not leave the airport because of a tire blowout.

The City of Kelowna said Air Canada flight AC8399 advised air traffic control of the mechanical issue at approximately 9:10 a.m.

On social media, one person said the flight was aborted prior to takeoff.

The city said the aircraft was returned to the terminal and passengers were offloaded. As a safety precaution, emergency response teams were dispatched to standby.

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The 74-seat passenger aircraft was scheduled to leave at 8:45 a.m., and arrive in Vancouver at 9:52 a.m.

In an email to Global News, Air Canada said during the takeoff roll from Kelowna, the aircraft experienced a tire blowout.

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Air Canada said the passengers were not at risk, as the Dash 8-400 aircraft is equipped with six tires – two on the right landing gear, two on the left, and two on the nose wheel-landing gear.

“The crew rejected the takeoff and returned to the gate,” Air Canada said in the email. “The flight was cancelled and passengers were re-booked on subsequent flights later on Friday. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”