A man from Fort McMurray has been arrested and is facing charges for an alleged assault against a flight attendant while the plane was over the Atlantic Ocean. Ontario police have charged Jaskaran Sidhu, a 47 yer old male from Fort McMurray, with assault causing bodily harm after an incident on board an AirCanada flight headed to India. According to police Sidhu engaged in “assaultive and belligerent behaviour” during the flight, forcing the crew to turn the plane around and return to Pearson Airport in Toronto. The Peel Regional Police reported that the flight attendant who was assaulted was injured and required medical attention for the injuries involved. Once the plane was back at the airport and the craft had landed the police arrested the Fort McMurray man without any further incidents, and he is scheduled to appear in court to face the charges that were brought.

The alleged assault of a flight attendant by the 47 year old Fort McMurray man, and the arrest for these actions, show that passengers must behave and act civilly on flights. Any passenger who interferes with a flight crew member or who does not follow the orders of the crew can be charged with a number of criminal offences. This is something that Mr. Sidhu learned first hand, and the consequences for his action while on board the plane could have serious consequences that include stiff fines, incarceration, and a permanent criminal record. The other passengers who were on board the AirCanada flight were inconvenienced because of the delay and this could also factor into the final sentence handed down for the incident.