There was no fire, engine woe or medical emergency when an Air Canada Jazz flight made an unscheduled stop in western Canada last week: the pilot diverted the jet over a beer theft, police said.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Steve Holmes told AFP that a passenger had stolen beer from a beverage cart and tried to flush the empty cans down the 50-seat jet's toilet to dispose of the evidence.

The flight from Vancouver to Fort McMurray, Alberta was diverted to Kelowna, British Columbia, and police arrested the 23-year-old suds thief.

The man faces charges of causing a disturbance on an aircraft, Holmes said.

Federal police also interviewed two other passengers who were not charged, Holmes said.

They told local media they had been drinking prior to take-off.

"We have a zero tolerance policy as it concerns unruly passengers," Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman Debra Williams told online newspaper Kelowna.com.

AFP

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