Air Canada flight passengers shaken after plane skids down runway and catches fire in Halifax

The incident occurred just hours after a Boeing 737 in South Korea attempted a landing without extending its gear, resulting in an explosion that reportedly killed all but two passengers.

The Halifax incident involved Air Canada Flight 2259, operated by PAL Airlines, arriving from St. John’s. According to a statement from the airport, the plane encountered landing difficulties around 9.30pm local time.

Passenger Nikki Valentine described the harrowing experience to CBC News, saying one of the plane’s tires failed to deploy properly. "The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left, and as that happened, we heard a pretty loud - what almost sounded like a crash sound - as the wing of the plane started to skid along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine," she said.

Valentine said the plane skidded for a "decent" distance as the pilots worked to bring it to a stop. "The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane, and smoke started coming in the windows," she recalled.

The passengers were evacuated quickly, with Valentine estimating it took up to two minutes to get everyone off the aircraft. "One side of the entire plane was on fire, so everyone was pretty much in a hurry to get off — but an organized hurry," she said.

The exact number of passengers on board has not been confirmed, but Valentine noted the plane was mostly full, with approximately 80 seats.

While there were no reports of life-threatening injuries, many passengers appeared shaken as they were taken to a hangar to be evaluated by paramedics.

The Halifax airport temporarily closed following the incident, but one runway has since reopened. The airport and airline have yet to provide additional details about the cause of the incident or the condition of the aircraft.

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the Halifax incident.