Aug. 23 (UPI) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident that forced an Air Canada flight from Toronto bound for Las Vegas to divert to Chicago this week because of a disruptive passenger.
Flight 1705 was operated by Air Canada Rouge, the airline’s low-cost carrier and safely landed at Chicago O’Hare International Airport around 10:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, the FAA confirmed on its website.
Air Canada confirmed the incident took place but did not elaborate on the nature of it.
The FAA would only say the Airbus A320 diverted to Chicago “after the crew reported a passenger disturbance.”
There were 130 aboard the plane at the time it left Toronto.
Air Canada Rouge operates a fleet of five Airbus A320 planes, configured to hold up to 168 passengers.
The flight-tracking website flightaware shows the westbound plane changing course and turning around while over Iowa as it approached the state border with Nebraska.
The flight later took off from Chicago and ultimately landed at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas approximately three hours behind schedule.
The daily flight typically leaves Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport at 8:30 p.m. EDT, with the airline normally operating an Airbus A320 or A319 on the route.
The average length of the flight is approximately 4.5 hours, although it can take closer to five or as little as four, depending on wind and other weather elements.