A minor mishap Wednesday morning involving Air North's de-icing truck and one of its Boeing 737 aircraft caused delays in Wednesday's Vancouver and Alberta schedules.

"They were de-icing the airplane and they nicked the tail of the airplane with the boom of the de-icing truck,” Air North president Joe Sparling explained this morning.

Sparling said the damage is not extensive by any means, but it does require repairs and parts. He estimates that will cost between $30,000 and $40,000.

It doesn't take a lot to spend that much on a 737, Sparling said, noting the replacement patch will probably measure 10 inches by two inches.

Sparling said the airplane was scheduled for the 8 a.m. departure to Vancouver.

As a result of the incident with the truck, the 737 scheduled for the 10 a.m. Alberta departure was put on the Vancouver route and didn't leave for Calgary and Edmonton until 3 p.m. after returning from Vancouver.

Sparling said in keeping with the company's safety management system, the incident will be investigated to determine how it happened and how it can be prevented in the future.