Drunk passenger faces whopping emergency landing bill

Charalabos Nassios pleaded guilty to charges of assault, mischief and uttering threats during a Cuba-bound Sunwing flight in July last year. Photo / Facebook

A Canadian man faces a whopping A$22,700 ($24,081) bill after his drunk and disorderly behaviour forced the aeroplane he was travelling on to make an emergency return to the airport.

Charalabos Nassios, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, mischief and uttering threats while on a Cuba-bound Sunwing flight last year, according to Fox News.

Prosecutors are requesting Nassios, who is due to be sentenced on April 18, pay damages and serve three years probation, according to court documents seen by CTV News.

The fine reportedly factors in aeroplane fuel, landing fees, overtimes salaries for Sunwing employees and hotel costs for the 170 stranded passengers.

The incident happened July 6, 2017 on a Sunwing flight leaving Pierre Trudeau International Airport in Montreal for Cuba.

According to CTV News, Nassios allegedly began making threats and acting "aggressively" on board, forcing the plane to turn around and return to Montreal shortly after takeoff.

On top of this, the airline also had to contact the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for assistance and two F-15 U.S. Air Force jets accompanied the plane back to the airport.

"The flight arrived back around 7:25pm that same evening, and the disruptive customer was taken into police custody," the Canadian airliner said in a news release at the time.

Nassios's lawyer, Tom Pentefountas, is arguing against the massive bill, saying it will put "obstacles in his future path."

According to Newsweek, Nassios has filed for bankruptcy.

Sunwing Airlines are a Canadian low-cost airline with destinations to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.