American Airlines is cooperating with police in Brazil after a pilot was taken into custody accused of assaulting a ground worker.
The 59-year-old captain, who had his US passport confiscated, allegedly attacked a female ground operations agent at Sao Paulo International airport in Guarulho shortly before a flight was due to depart for Miami.
The pilot is accused of grabbing the agent by the neck after a dispute over a pre-boarding technical issue quickly escalated.
Flight AA 930 had to be canceled at the last minute and passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight.
"We apologize to our customers for the problem. The authorities are now in charge of the case and providing support to staff members. This is a legal investigation and we are cooperating fully with the authorities," the airline said, adding that it is taking the incident ‘extremely seriously.’
AA declined to name the two individuals involved in the incident.
The pilot has been working for AA for more than 30 years and was expected to make a court appearance before the end of the week.
If convicted he could face up to a year in prison.
