Drunken passenger brawl gets Canadian flight a military escort

Washington - The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two CF-18 fighter jets out of Quebec Wednesday to escort Sunwing Flight 656 back to Toronto after a "passenger disturbance," a spokeswoman said.

Referring to the Canada to Cuba flight, NORAD spokeswoman Major Julie Roberge told AFP: "in fact, the pilot decided over South Carolina, because of a passenger disturbance, to head back to Toronto" where the plane arrived at 20:33.

Peel regional police in Canada said on Twitter that authorities at Pearson International Airport "arrested 2 females after flight diverted back to Toronto for disruptive behaviour onboard."

Social media reports said two women, apparently in their 20s, appeared to have overdone the duty free, got drunk and fought with each other.

Also see: Flight forced to divert after passengers fight over reclining seat

"Once the aircraft was safely on the ground, the Canadian fighters returned to their home base," a NORAD statement added.

NORAD is the joint Canadian and American command in charge of maritime warning, aerospace warning and aerospace control for the neighboring nations.

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