Southwest Airlines flight almost takes off from taxiway rather than runway at Orlando airport

Orlando, Fla. — A Southwest Airlines flight almost took off from a taxiway - rather than a runway - at a central Florida airport on Thursday before an air traffic controller stopped the plane, officials said.

Southwest Flight 3278 had been cleared for takeoff and initiated a takeoff roll on a taxiway after the crew mistook the surface for the nearby runway, officials said. But air traffic controllers canceled the clearance before the plane could take off.

No injuries were reported, and passengers departing Orlando International Airport were accommodated on another aircraft heading to their destination of Albany, New York, the airline said in a statement. The aircraft was switched to help facilitate an investigation.