Air Canada flight on way to Brazil ordered back to Toronto over passenger screening

TORONTO – Air Canada says a flight from Toronto to Brazil was ordered back to Pearson International Airport early Thursday due to a security issue.

Spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick says flight AC 090 from Toronto to Sao Paulo — which had 189 passengers onboard — took off normally at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

He says it was later suspected that one of its passengers had boarded without being properly screened.

The plane was enroute to Sao Paulo and had been in the air for four hours when Fitzpatrick says the airline was notified of the suspected security breach and ordered by Transport Canada to have the aircraft return to Toronto.

He says the plane landed normally at 6:30 a.m. at Pearson and those passengers who still wished to travel would be able to redepart later in the day.

Authorities had said late Wednesday that all departing international flights from Terminal 1 were suspended while police searched for a male passenger who had reportedly passed through airport security without being checked.