A passenger has been charged with endangering a Sydney-bound flight after allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit door mid-air – twice.
The Jordanian national, 46, was scheduled to face the Parramatta Local Court on Sunday, 6 April after being charged with endangering the safety of the flight as well as assaulting a member of the cabin crew, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.
The AFP at Sydney Airport responded on Saturday evening to an airline request for police to meet a flight arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The police said the man allegedly attempted to open the rear emergency exit door of the aircraft while mid-air.
The man was then escorted to a seat in the middle of the aircraft by airline staff, however, the passenger then allegedly attempted to open an emergency exit door, this time the one located in the middle of the plane.
The man had to be restrained by crew and passengers, during which he allegedly assaulted a member of the airline staff.
As a result, the man has been charged with two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft and one count of assault.
The offences each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
AirAsia X later confirmed the “disruptive” passenger was on board flight D7220 from Kuala Lumpur.
“Our cabin crew, who are professionally trained to respond to such situations, took all necessary steps to ensure the safety of everyone on board,” the airline said in a statement, according to The Guardian.
“At no time was the safety of guests or crew compromised.
“AirAsia has a zero-tolerance policy for [alleged] inappropriate behaviour of any kind and as per procedure alerted the AFP and relevant authorities to meet the aircraft on arrival in Sydney.
“The matter is now with the relevant authorities and as such, we are unable to comment further.”
Davina Copelin, detective acting superintendent of AFP said dangerous behaviour on planes will not be tolerated by police in Australia.
“The actions of this man could have had tragic consequences, and passengers and airplane staff shouldn’t have to put up with unruly, violent, or dangerous behaviour on flights,” Ms Copelin said.
“The AFP will not hesitate to take action against people who engage in criminal behaviour on airplanes, especially where this behaviour has the potential to endanger the safety of passengers, crew or the flight itself.”
This incident comes days after another flight to Australia left Jetstar passengers in shock after a woman attempted to open the emergency exit door.
The female passenger was on a flight to Melbourne from Bali when she lifted the handle of a cabin door, forcing the plane to divert back to its departure destination.
The passenger was removed from the aircraft by local authorities in Bali.
The Independent has contacted Air Asia X and the AFP for further comment.
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