An elderly woman has spent the night in Shannon Garda Station after being escorted off a plane at the nearby airport.

The pensioner, who in 87, was on board an Air Canada flight from Frankfurt to Toronto, when the pilot decided to make an unscheduled stop at Shannon yesterday evening.

The plane touched down shortly after 8pm and the passenger was met by emergency services on the tarmac.

She was taken directly to Shannon Garda Station, but there's been no explanation yet for her detention.

It is understood that the woman was involved in an air rage incident.