OAP arrested after 'hitting cabin crew' and diverting flight

Shannon Airport departure terminal, Shannon, County Clare, Ireland

A pensioner was held at Shannon Airport in Ireland after becoming disruptive on-board a transatlantic flight and allegedly assaulting a flight attendant.

The 79-year-old woman is believed to have been travelling in the first class cabin of an Air Canada flight from Frankfurt to Toronto when cabin crew were forced to restrain her and the flight was diverted to Ireland.

According to the BBC, police met the flight at Shannon Airport at around 20:15 on Friday.

The pilot advised the Irish Aviation Authority's (IAA) North Atlantic Communications Service centre of the incident and requested the police to be on standby for the plane's arrival.

Flight ACA-877 was over 1,000km north west of Shannon when the crew decided to turn around, the Irish Times reports.

The crew was forced to dump aviation fuel over the Atlantic to ensure they could land within safe weight limits.

The woman was arrested and taken to Shannon garda station for questioning.

In February, a famous porn star was arrested after allegedly attacking cabin crew and fellow passengers on a Delta airlines flight.

Tory Lane, whose real name is Lisa Piasecki, reportedly assaulted passengers and crew while on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

She was restrained for the last 45 minutes of the flight, and was then dragged "kicking and screaming" by three flight crew members before assaulting a police officer.

She was arrested at 2am on Thursday at LAX airport on suspicion of battery on a police officer and public drunkenness.

Police described her behaviour as "belligerent" and was taken to hospital for treatment.