A man accused of running naked down an aisle during a domestic flight in Australia, knocking over a flight attendant and forcing the plane to take off, has been arrested by police at Perth Airport, officials said Tuesday.
The incident happened at the start of the three-quarter-hour flight on Monday night. Virgin Australia from PerthOn the east coast, Melbournein the east.
Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to “Problem Travelers”The airline explained in a statement.
Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the flight and “the passenger in question disembarked,” Virgin added.
The police mentioned “A man has been arrested after allegedly running naked through a plane mid-flight and knocking a crew member to the ground”.
“The man was taken to the hospital for evaluation, where he remains,” the police note added.
It is not clear how and where the passenger removed his clothes.
A passenger told Guardian Australia that another passenger in business class got up to intervene and two others helped push the passenger to the ground, local media reported.
A second passenger told Melbourne radio station 3AW that the naked man was also knocking on the cabin door and was restrained and handcuffed by two air marshals.
Police expect the man to be summoned to appear in a Perth court on June 14. The charges against him have not been specified.
The airline apologized to “affected passengers” and said the safety of its customers and staff was its top priority. The company and the police declined to comment beyond their respective statements.
According to state television, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, no injuries were reported in the incident.
According to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), an unruly or disruptive passenger can face multiple infringement notices related to the same incident if there are multiple violations of the Civil Aviation Act, local media reported.
In addition, an airline forced to divert a flight due to unruly behavior may recover fuel-related costs, airport-related costs, inconvenience payments to other passengers and costs related to additional meals, accommodation or alternative flights.
(With information from AP)
