Plane going from Ottawa to Orlando gets stuck in snow bank

A Porter Airlines plane can be seen in this undated file photo. (File)

A Porter Airlines plane that was going from Ottawa to Orlando on Thursday got stuck in a snow bank at the Ottawa International Airport before take off, the airline says.

“We were just taxiing over. I think we were just going over to de-ice the plane. The plane all of a sudden kind of lurched upward. You could see everybody was a little bit concerned,” passenger Chad Wilson told Newstalk 580 CFRA.

In a statement, Porter Airlines said poor visibility and snow accumulation were the main contributing factors.

“The aircraft's nosewheel slipped off the edge of the taxiway while preparing for departure. It became stuck and was unable to maneuver,” read the statement.

Porter adds due to weather conditions and the position of the airplane, passengers had to stay approximately one hour on board while the airline made the necessary arrangements to safely deplane and transport them back to the terminal with buses.

“Where necessary, passengers were offered hotel accommodation at Porter's expense. Alternatively, they may submit expenses for accommodation and meals,” read the statement.

Listen: Eyewitness account

While the airline apologizes for the inconvenience, it says everyone was rebooked on a new flight Friday.

The airplane was later removed from the snow bank. It’s currently under maintenance inspection, the airline notes.

Environment Canada reported 9.8 cm of snow fell at the Ottawa Airport on Thursday evening.