A 37-year-old man from Western Australia has been arrested after he allegedly became aggressive towards cabin crew and punched a wall outside a boarding gate.
The Australian Federal Police charged the Byford man with disorderly behavior following the incident at Perth Airport on March 24.
He is expected to appear before Perth Magistrates Court on April 7.
“The AFP will allege the man, 37, was intoxicated as he boarded a flight bound for Melbourne,” AFP said in a statement.
“When airline staff asked the man to leave the aircraft due to his intoxication, he was allegedly loud and aggressive towards them and later punched the wall outside a boarding gate with an open palm.”
AFP officers attended and arrested the man when he allegedly refused to identify himself.
Footage released by the AFP shows officers handcuffing the man inside the domestic airport before being escorted out of the terminal 1.
He was charged with one count of acting in a disorderly manner in public and one count of failure to comply with a request. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of $6,000.
“Our airports are a shared, safe space and airport and airline staff should not have to deal with intoxicated passengers, verbal abuse or any other bad behavior,” AFP detective inspector Peter Brindal said.
“The AFP works closely with our partners in the airline industry to intervene if anyone’s behavior in or around an airport becomes aggressive.”
Mr. Brindal also commended the officers for their “swift action”.
Meanwhile, a man is facing 30 years behind bars after he allegedly tried to open the plane door on an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Sydney.
Flight attendants were forced to restrain the 46-year-old Jordanian man after he allegedly tried to open the rear door.
He was escorted to a seat in the middle of the aircraft by airline staff, however he allegedly then tried to open the middle emergency exit door.
“The man was then restrained by crew and passengers, during which he allegedly assaulted an airline staff member,” AFP said in a statement.
He is due to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, April 9.
