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This article was published 10/10/2009 (4988 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Flights to and from Winnipeg’s airport were delayed until late afternoon today after a jet taxied off a runway Friday night and became marooned in soft ground.

Winnipeg Airports Authority spokeswoman Christine Alongi said the flight crew on United Flight 6648 from Denver, Co., missed seeing the blue taxi-direction light because of blowing snow at 10:24 p.m.

“They were taxiing to come to the terminal but because of poor visibility they drove onto the soft surface,” Alongi said.

“It took until 3:45 p.m. to remove it. They had to use air bags to prop it up to get it out. All three landing gear (were) stuck.”

No one was injured, and all the passengers and their luggage were taken from the plane to the terminal on a Winnipeg Transit bus, Alongi said.

Because the airport had to shut down a nearby runway, only one runway was open during most of today, leading to flight delays ranging from 10 minutes to an hour.

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.

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