SYDNEY: An Australian man was arrested and charged today after his unruly behaviour forced a red-eye domestic flight to return to Perth Airport, reported Xinhua.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed in a statement that the 33-year-old would appear before a court today, accused of disorderly behaviour and failing to comply with airline staff’s directions on board a domestic flight.
After the Sydney-bound JQ989 flight, operated by Jetstar, departed from Perth last night, AFP officers received a call about an alleged intoxicated passenger who was verbally abusing a cabin crew member and failing to comply with directions.
As a consequence of the incident, the flight had to turn around and come back to the airport, and the ruckus also compelled the aircraft to drop fuel in order to land safely.
AFP estimated that the man could face a penalty of up to A$27,500 for his offences.
The remaining passengers were provided with overnight accommodation by Jetstar and boarded replacement flights this morning.