Southwest flight nearly takes off from taxiway – reasonably than runway – at Florida airport

A Southwest Airways flight nearly took off from a taxiway – reasonably than a runway – at a central Florida airport on Thursday earlier than an air visitors controller stopped the aircraft, officers mentioned.

No accidents had been reported, and passengers departing Orlando Worldwide Airport had been accommodated on one other plane heading to their vacation spot of Albany, New York, the airline mentioned in a press release. The plane was switched to assist facilitate an investigation.

Southwest Flight 3278 had been cleared for takeoff and initiated a takeoff roll on a taxiway after the crew mistook the floor for the close by runway, officers mentioned. However air visitors controllers canceled the clearance earlier than the aircraft might take off.

Taxiways are routes utilized by planes to maneuver on the bottom between gates, hangars and runways. Runways are the lengthy, normally paved, areas of airports particularly meant for takeoffs and landings.

Southwest is working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Nationwide Transportation Security Board.

“Nothing is extra vital to Southwest than the Security of our Prospects and Staff,” the airline mentioned in a press release.