Southwest flight almost took off from taxiway, not runway, at Orlando International Airport: FAA

A Southwest Airlines flight nearly took off from a taxiway – not a runway – on Thursday morning at Orlando International Airport after the flight crew apparently thought it was on a runway, the FAA said. An air traffic controller noticed the issue and stopped the flight's departure.

Taxiways are used for planes to travel to and from runways, gates, and hangars. Runways are used for takeoffs and landings.

What we know:

Southwest Flight 3278 was headed from Orlando to Albany, New York on Thursday morning when the mix-up occurred, according to statements from the FAA and Southwest.

"An air traffic controller at Orlando International Airport canceled the takeoff clearance for Southwest Airlines Flight 3278 around 9:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, March 20, after the aircraft began its takeoff roll on a taxiway," the FAA said in a statement, adding that the taxiway and runway run parallel to each other.

The takeoff roll is when the airline begins to speed up along the runway before gaining enough lift to become airborne.

"Southwest Airlines Flight 3278 stopped safely on a taxiway at Orlando International Airport this morning after the Crew mistook the surface for the nearby runway," Southwest said in a statement.

"Southwest is engaged with the NTSB and FAA to understand the circumstances of the event. The airline accommodated Customers on another aircraft to their intended destination of Albany. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."

Both agencies said no one was hurt. The FAA said it was investigating the incident.