A passenger sparked chaos while allegedly attempting to hijack a private plane in Canada.

Richmond Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they received a report at 1:10 pm concerning a Cessna 172 light aircraft that had allegedly been seized from the Vancouver Island area on Tuesday afternoon, July 15.

The aircraft, operated by a lone individual, was reported to be entering airspace near Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

The incident led to a temporary halt in flight operations and the closure of YVR's airspace. Air traffic control alerted nearby pilots to the developing situation.

Footage shows emergency responders on the tarmac with the plane nearby.

Officials said in a statement: 'Shortly before 1:30 pm this afternoon, a security incident involving a small private aircraft in the airspace near YVR prompted a temporary ground stop for arriving aircraft. RCMP responded, the aircraft landed safely, and the lone occupant was taken into custody.

'During the 39-minute ground stop for arrivals, nine inbound aircraft were diverted to alternate airports. Airlines, YVR, and our partners are working to support getting those passengers to their destinations.'

Flight data shows the Cessna took off from Victoria Airport just before 1pm and headed straight toward YVR. It circled above the airport at low altitude - between 600 and 1,000ft for around 20 minutes.

The aircraft touched down safely at YVR at 1:45 pm, where authorities took the suspect into custody without any resistance.

An investigation is ongoing.