Fighter jets were scrambled to escort a Cuba-bound plane back to Toronto on Wednesday after two female passengers allegedly put the aircraft under threat.
The two women had allegedly drank a ‘significant quantity’ of duty free alcohol in the cabin toilet and lit a cigarette, which triggered the on-board smoke detector.
They then allegedly got into a fight and threatened the safety of the aircraft before the pilot decided to turn back.
NORAD, the bi-national organisation that provides airspace control for the US and Canada, dispatched two Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 fighter jets to escort the plane back to Toronto.
The jets were dispatched as a ‘precautionary measure’, according to a NORAD statement.
It is the third time in just over two years Sunwing has needed a fighter jet escort.
According to a report in the Toronto Star, Milana Muzikante, 26, and Lilia Ratmanski, 25, have been charged with smoking on an aircraft, endangering the safety of an aircraft, mischief over $5,000, mischief endangering life and uttering threats, and have each been granted a $2,500 bail.
