The incident involved a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight. The pilot attempted to depart from Zaventem at 9.54 pm. His plane, an Airbus A320neo with 135 passengers on board accelerated for take-off on a taxiway.
A taxiway is only used for plans moving slowly between the airport terminal and the runways. The crew was able to stop the plane safely before it took off and no one was injured in the incident.
The emergency services, including the airport fire service and the federal police, rushed to the scene. No one was injured, but passengers and crew were offered counselling It took several hours to evacuate the plane as there were no steps available at the spot where the aircraft came to a halt, close to fuel storage tanks.
Passengers were unable to continue their journey to Copenhagen on Thursday night, SAS contacted them to arrange alternative flights and accommodation.
The incident did not disrupt other operations at the airport, and no flights were cancelled as a result.
Why the pilots tried to use the taxiway as a runway is not yet known and will be investigated by Belgian aviation civil authorities. The aviation expert Luc De Wilde, told VRT News that the incident was highly unusual, adding that initial indications suggest pilot error, though this will have to be confirmed by a full inquiry.