‘Unruly passenger’ arrested after Air Canada flight returns to Toronto

TORONTO — An Air Canada flight en route to Hungary was flown back to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport early Thursday after an unruly passenger was allegedly involved in an altercation that left a flight attendant injured.

Peel regional police said they received a call at 12:32 a.m. for an incident involving a 57-year-old man on board the flight to Budapest.

Const. Bancroft Wright said a passenger became disruptive, but was being controlled by airline staff.  

“There was an altercation when he was being controlled,” Wright said. “During that altercation one of the stewardesses was injured.”

Wright described the flight attendant’s injury as minor, but said it required treatment from paramedics at the airport.

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Air Canada said the plane was just past Montreal when it had to turn back.

The aircraft was carrying 267 passengers and eight crew members, according to Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

“The customers will be travelling on another flight later today,” Fitzpatrick said.

John Svab, 57, of Hamilton, has been charged with uttering death threats, aggravated assaulted and endangering an aircraft while in flight.

He was expected to appear in court on Thursday.

The Canadian Press