A woman has been charged after her alleged “erratic” and abusive behavior led to an international flight en route to Thailand being diverted.
Federal police were alerted by airline staff to an incident on board Jetstar flight JQ17, which was travelling from Melbourne to Phuket, Thailand, on Sunday.
The 37-year-old woman was allegedly acting in “an increasingly erratic manner” that escalated to her “verbally abusing passengers and cabin crew”, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.
The plan was diverted to Perth Airport, where officers had to remove the woman from the plane after she refused to leave on her own.
She was charged with behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner, endangering the safety of an aircraft.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $16,500 fine.
AFP Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal condemned the woman’s alleged anti-social and abusive behavior towards staff and passengers.
“Any kind of aggressive or anti-social behavior on a flight can pose a direct threat to the safety of the aircraft and passengers on board,” he said.
“The AFP works closely with the airline industry to intervene if anyone interferes with the safety of workers or the public in, or around, an airport, or on flights.”
A Jetstar spokesperson said the flight was diverted due to a “disruptive passenger” and the airliner has “zero tolerance” for disruptive behavior.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority,” they said.
“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and thank them for their understanding and patience.”
The woman is scheduled to face court on May 11.
