A judge has ordered a 44-year-old British man to pay more than $21,000 to WestJet after his drunken behavior forced an international flight to reroute and land earlier this month.
On Jan. 4, flight radar showed the London-bound flight was forced to turn around and land back in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada shortly after takeoff because passenger David Stephen Young was acting drunk and unruly. Police reportedly arrested Young immediately after the plane grounded and charged him with one count of causing a disturbance under the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations.
After Young pleaded guilty last week, a judge for the Alberta Provincial Court ruled that he must pay WestJet $21,260 CAD, or the cost of the flight's wasted fuel, the clerk's office confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
According to the CBC, prosecutors said in court last week that the pilot had to burn off and dump 20,000 pounds of fuel in order to land safely.
Update ↩️ DIVERSION UNRULY PASSENGER Westjet #WS1 to London returning to Calgary with a disruptive passenger. Left their hold and now inbound YYC. Police meeting at the gate. https://t.co/n5EZ1UqdcK
CBC reported that WestJet's total losses could be more than $200,000, which includes both the cost of fuel and compensation for other passengers on the flight.
The prosecution originally requested a $65,000 restitution order against Young, but the judge reportedly did not want to bankrupt him.
In a statement read in court, Young apologized for the "damage and inconvenience" that his behavior caused on the flight.
WestJet told BuzzFeed News it has no comment on the incident or court ruling.