Flight from Paris to the US diverted to Canada due to an unruly passenger, police say
Zenebou Sylla and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN • Updated 6th June 2023
(CNN) — A disruptive passenger on a Friday flight from Paris, France, to Detroit, Michigan, is facing criminal charges after his behavior caused the plane to be diverted to Canada, police said.
Ahmed Omar Aden, 34, was acting in an "unruly manner" and was believed to be under the influence of alcohol, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesperson Cpl. Jolene Garland and court documents.
Aden was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police when the plane landed at the Stephenville Dymond International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, officials said.
Aden is facing charges under the Aeronautics Act, including unlawfully engaging in behavior that endangers safety by interfering with duty of crew and unlawfully engaging in behavior that endangers safety by lessening ability of crew to perform duty, a spokesperson from the Stephenville Provincial Court said.
He appeared in court Monday and was remanded into custody until his next court appearance Friday, the spokesperson said.
Aden's attorney, Trevor Murphy, from the Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission, declined to comment.
The flight, operated by Delta Air Lines, left Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris Friday morning and was in the air for about six hours before landing in Canada, according to flight tracker FlightAware. After about 90 minutes at the Canadian airport, it took off and headed to Detroit.
"Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior, especially when it potentially compromises the safety of our customers and flight crew," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement regarding the incident.
Last year there were more than 2,300 reports of unruly passenger behavior, according to US Federal Aviation Administration statistics. Since late 2021, the FAA has referred more than 250 cases to the FBI for criminal review, the agency said.
The FAA has received reports of at least 740 unruly airline passengers in 2023 as of May 28, the transportation agency's statistics showed.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong name for the court where the passenger is expected to appear. It is the Stephenville Provincial Court.
