(ECNS) – There were no signs of sexual assault during a small scuffle between a man and a stewardess aboard a Toronto-bound Air Canada plane, which returned to Beijing about five hours after departure on August 18, the Beijing News reported Friday, citing Beijing airport police.
According to the police, an attendant from flight AC32 was distributing meals when her serving cart hit a male passenger surnamed Ma. Due to language barriers, it soon escalated into a dispute. She reported the scuffle to the captain, who then regarded the situation as uncontrollable and decided to head back to Beijing airport due to safety concerns.
Media reports have said that the plane was in Russian airspace when it turned back.
However, investigators have found no evidence of a sexual assault against the flight attendant, as media reports have speculated.
The Beijing airport police will punish Ma with a ten-day detention, plus a fine of 500 yuan, for disturbing the normal order of a flight, the paper said.
But the man could face further lawsuits from Air Canada, whose loss was estimated at between 200,000 yuan ($31,270) and 300,000 yuan, as well as by the flight attendant, according to aviation lawyer Zhang Qihuai.
An Air Canada spokesman said in an email interview that the dispute had forced Air Canada flight AC32 to head back to Beijing Capital International Airport about two hours after departure, but refused to disclose more details because local law enforcement was dealing with the matter.
Most of the passengers were provided accommodation at nearby hotels after the plane landed in Beijing and had to wait until the next day's flight, the paper said.
