Dutch grandfather who set off for Australian holiday lands at Sydney ... in Canada

When Joannes Rutten stepped off a plane with his grandson at Sydney airport after a long flight from Amsterdam, he thought they were in for the Australian holiday of a lifetime.

But the Dutch pair were shocked to learn that they had just touched down in the rather chillier climate of Sydney, Canada - more than 17,000 miles away from their intended destination.

Mr Rutten and his grandson Nick, 15, booked what they believed was a trip Down Under through a Dutch travel agency. They flew into Nova Scotia in the east of the country from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport with Air Canada on Saturday.



They even managed to board to a connecting flight to the wrong Sydney at Halifax on the east coast of Canada without realising their mistake. And to make matters worse, Mr Rutten's nephew was waiting to pick them up in Australia.

The airline is now making arrangements to fly them back to Amsterdam after putting them up in a hotel free of charge.

Grandfather Joannes, who can only speak a little English, said: 'We had 24 hours with no sleep. It's not good, not good. 'I must say, the ladies from Air Canada, perfect, perfect.' He said he and his grandson will try to fly to Oz again when they are back home.