The man who forced a passenger jet to make an emergency landing in Stephenville one week ago has been sentenced to time served.

Thirty-four-year-old Ahmed Aden had been in custody since his arrest last Friday — a total of eight days — which Judge Kari Ann Pike decided was fit for the crime.

Aden was returning to Detroit from vacation in Paris when a combination of medication and alcohol triggered unruly behaviour that quickly got out of hand.

Court heard there was terror and chaos on the flight as several passengers and crew fought to restrain the man who managed to break free during the ordeal, which lasted almost four hours before the plane touched down in Stephenville.

Aden was arrested and removed from the flight by the RCMP, which are also being looked at by SIRT-NL for how they handled him during the walk to a waiting SUV on the tarmac.

Meanwhile, Judge Pike denied Delta Airlines’ request for $50,000 in restitution from the man, saying the amount wasn’t backed up with formal documents or final figures.

She also noted Aden spent eight days in jail in another country without a bail hearing, and could lose his job over the incident. But she also took into account the fear and risk to passengers who were “stuck” in that situation with no way out.