The airline said that Air Canada Flight 624 from Toronto — an Airbus A320 — "exited the runway" upon landing. It said a preliminary count showed 133 passengers and five crew were on board when the incident took place just after midnight local time.
Halifax Stanfield International Airport said its airfield was closed and 25 people were taken to the hospital. The airline said later that 18 had been treated and released.
"We are thankful no serious injuries have been reported," Halifax airport posted on Twitter.
"There was bad weather and reduced visibility. They circled for a while and then went in when they saw a break in weather," a passenger on the plane, Treasure Addis-Mills, said. "People with bloody faces. Took a long time being stranded on the runway with snow coming down."
Addis-Mills said passengers "had to huddle like penguins to stay warm" until they were led to the terminal.
Airport spokesman Peter Spurway said there was some snow and wind when the plane touched down, but that conditions were not terribly difficult for landing.
The incident also knocked out power to the airport. Photos on social media showed passengers in a darkened terminal after the hard landing. Nova Scotia Power said electricity was restored to the airport shortly after 1 a.m.
The plane left Toronto Pearson International Airport bound for Halifax at 9:05 p.m., according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.
From NBCNEWS
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