A man was pinned down by cabin crew as wild scenes broke in a Qantas flight travelling from Bali to Australia on Sunday (Dec. 31).
The crew was forced to tie and pin down the 28-year-old man from Victoria, who reportedly had "gone crazy" on board flight QF46. The flight departed Denpasar on Saturday night and landed safely in Melbourne just before 7 am on Sunday.
While exact details of what occurred on the flight are not yet known, Qantas has confirmed that an incident occurred between Denpasar and Melbourne.
A video shared by 9 News shows other passengers wrestling with the man before he is pinned face down in the aisle by a Qantas staff member. As per various news reports, passengers who have since left the flight said the man was allegedly aggressive and was screaming and shouting. One witness claimed the man was screaming for his mum and dad.
A witness told 9 News that the man attacked passengers. "He attacked two or three of the other passengers and those other passengers overpowered him. Everybody was resting and all of a sudden this guy just jumped up and he started screaming and everybody was panicking," the witness said.
Another witness posted footage to Instagram showing the man pinned to the floor with a flight attendant kneeling on his back. "He's still been restrained after 4 hours. Everyone is safe. What a bloody flight!" the witness posted, reported stuff.co.nz.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) were on alert upon the flight's landing in Melbourne. They boarded the flight when it landed in Melbourne "after receiving a report of a disturbance on an international flight into Australia". The man was supposedly taken to hospital for a medical assessment.
Police are investigating the whole episode, and no charges have been made yet.
"The AFP responded to a request for assistance from an airline at Melbourne airport [on Sunday] after receiving a report of a disturbance on an international flight into Australia," a spokesperson of the federal police said.
"A male passenger, 28, was allegedly restrained by airline staff and fellow passengers. AFP officers boarded the aircraft upon arrival and questioned the Victorian man before he was taken for a medical assessment," the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, a Qantas spokesperson said the airline was working with police. The spokesperson said the "safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority" and they have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour.
