Air Canada flight diverted St John's with 368 passengers after onboard incident

An Air Canada flight diverted St John's early Saturday after an onboard incident involving what the airline described as an “unruly passenger.”

According to CBC News, Air Canada confirmed that flight AC858, travelling from Toronto to London Heathrow Airport, changed course during the overnight journey.

There were 368 passengers on board when it departed Toronto late Friday night, the airline said in a statement to CBC News.

Upon landing in Newfoundland, "the aircraft was met with authorities," said Air Canada.

The airline added that the situation is now a police matter and declined to provide further details.

Ryan Howell, a spokesperson for the St. John's International Airport Authority, told CBC the aircraft touched down around 8:00AM NT Saturday.

Passengers were later transported back to Toronto on another flight during the afternoon, with most travellers expected to continue their journeys to London later in the evening.

Airport departure schedules show the aircraft left St. John’s at approximately 4:00PM.

The incident caused delays and travel disruptions for hundreds of passengers as authorities investigated the situation.