A passenger was arrested at an Australian airport on Thursday after exiting a stationary commercial plane through an emergency exit, walking along a wing and then climbing down a jet engine onto the tarmac, officials said.
Jetstar flight JQ507 had landed at Melbourne Airport from Sydney and was parked at a gate in the terminal when the man exited the plane through the right exit, officials said.
When the exit was opened, a slide automatically extended from the rear of the wing on the fuselage to the ground, a Jetstar statement said. But the man instead walked along the wing and climbed down one of the Airbus A320’s two engines, an official said.
Passenger Audrey Varghese said passengers were screaming and shouting when the man displayed “erratic” behavior shortly before the hatch was opened.
“The man was exhibiting some pretty strange behaviour,” Varghese told Melbourne Radio 3AW.
“As soon as the plane came to a stop, he immediately stood up and basically stormed towards where the emergency exit row is, pushing people, causing a little commotion and ripping open the emergency exit door,” Varghese said.
Varghese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the incident had left her “terrified”.
“I was really shocked at first. My friend and I were talking and then when we heard someone screaming, we froze. We were pretty scared,” she told the outlet.
Another passenger, named Maddison, told Nine News that the man had been vaping, which is not allowed, during the 90-minute morning flight and had asked the flight crew in vain to give him alcohol.
Australian Federal Police officers were alerted by Jetstar employees and arrested the man for “alleged aggressive behaviour and breach of aircraft safety protocols”, a police statement said.
He was examined by paramedics and taken to a hospital where he will remain for further examination, the police statement said.
Police are continuing to investigate and charges are likely to be filed at a later date, they said.
Melbourne Airport said the man was detained by flight crew and ground staff before police arrested him.
Pictures on social media showed at least three ground staff holding the man on the tarmac.
“Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response of ground staff, which resulted in no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff,” the airport said in a statement.
Speaking from the airport’s baggage claim area an hour after landing, Varghese said passengers had been told the deployed chute had delayed the unloading of their luggage. Nine News reported the luggage was released hours later.
The incident in Australia came a day after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had referred 43 other cases of improper passenger conduct to the FBI for criminal investigation last year.
The FAA said the agency has referred more than 310 of the most serious cases to the FBI since the end of 2021.
“Dangerous passengers put everyone at risk – and the Biden-Harris administration has made it clear that those who disrupt flights will be held accountable,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Unruly travelers face heavy fines from the FAA and possibly criminal prosecution.”
