Toronto

Hamilton man facing 3 charges after flight attendant assaulted, police say

A 57-year-old Hamilton man will appear in court today on three charges after police say a flight attendant was assaulted on board an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Budapest.

Air Canada flight from Toronto bound for Budapest had to turn back near Montreal

Peel police arrested a passenger after they say a flight attendant was assaulted on a flight from Toronto bound for Budapest. The pilot turned around and flew back to Toronto. (Air Canada)

A 57-year-old Hamilton man will appear in court today on three charges after police say a flight attendant was assaulted on board an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Budapest.

Air Canada flight 1910 had made it just past Montreal but had to return to Pearson airport "due to an unruly passenger," an airline spokesperson told CBC News.

The passenger had "caused a disturbance" and a flight attendant "received an injury" that required treatment by paramedics at Pearson, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email.

Neither Fitzpatrick nor Peel police Sgt. Josh Colley would provide further details about what happened on board the plane, citing the ongoing police investigation. Colley would only say that the flight attendant had been assaulted.

Peel police had initially understood that the flight had made it all the way to Nova Scotia before it had to turn back. The Boeing 767-300 had 261 passengers and eight crew members on board. The passengers were to be put on another flight on Thursday, Fitzpatrick said in an email.

John Svab, 57, has been charged by Peel police with endangering the safety of an aircraft, aggravated assault and uttering death threats.

He was scheduled to appear in Brampton court on Thursday.

With files from The Canadian Press