Southwest Plane Aborts Takeoff After Taxiway Mistaken for Runway

A Southwest Airlines Co. plane was forced to abort a takeoff after pilots confused a taxiway at Orlando International Airport for a runway.

An air traffic controller canceled the takeoff clearance for Southwest Flight 3278 Thursday morning after the aircraft began the takeoff process from the taxiway, which was parallel to the runway, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the incident.

The Southwest flight stopped safely on the taxiway after the crew “mistook the surface for the nearby runway,” the airline said in a statement Thursday. Taxiways are used by slow-moving aircraft to get to ...