Richmond RCMP have provided details about an incident on Tuesday in the skies between Victoria and Vancouver airports.
Mounties say at around 1.10 on Tuesday afternoon, they received a report that a Cessna 172, a small passenger aircraft, had been hijacked from the Vancouver Island area and was entering into airspace near Vancouver International Airport. The suspect was the sole occupant of the aircraft.
Just over a half hour later the plane safely landed at YVR and Richmond RCMP officers arrested the suspect without incident.
They say this is an active and ongoing investigation with numerous factors still being assessed as such, no further details can be shared at this time.
Earlier, Victoria Airport officials confirmed the incident involved an aircraft operated by the Victoria Flying Club.
Vancouver International Airport say the incident resulted in a temporary 39 minute ground stop for arriving aircraft with nine inbound aircraft were diverted to alternate airports including Seattle, Victoria and Comox.