A woman accused of running onto the tarmac at Canberra Airport and walking under an aircraft was "experiencing some type of mental health crisis," a magistrate has said.
The 19-year-old, who The Canberra Times has chosen not to name, was granted bail in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday.
She faces charges of endangering safety by disrupting services at an airport, entering a security area without permission, possessing cannabis and two counts of property damage.
The woman, who was visibly shaking while the charges were read out to her, is yet to enter pleas.
On Thursday, the court had ordered the defendant be sent to a mental health facility to determine if she needed immediate treatment or care.
By Friday afternoon, she had been discharged from hospital and returned to court.
Legal Aid lawyer Lorenna Wienert argued the woman should be granted bail.
Ms Wienert said the 19-year-old university student had "a supportive family environment".
The alleged offender's mother had flown in from Adelaide to support her daughter in court.
Prosecutor Tahni Whybrow argued against bail, saying there was a lack of information about the woman's mental health condition.
"The risk to herself and other members of the community is unknown," Ms Whybrow said.
The prosecutor said the woman only had one other matter on her criminal history, which had been dismissed.
"This is a giant leap in offending," Ms Whybrow told the court.
Police documents allege that on November 1 the defendant arrived at Canberra Airport and spoke to a Qantas staff member saying "have a nice day" and asking "how can I help you?" over and over before walking towards a security screening point.
The woman allegedly ran through security.
The documents state that after failing to gain access to the aerobridge, she activated two fire alarms which disabled the security doors.
She then entered a restricted area "for the movement of incoming and departing aircraft," the documents allege.
"This area is restricted due to the extremely high risk of serious injury or death due to inappropriate movement of persons."
The woman allegedly ran onto the tarmac where a Qantas aircraft was parked with 100 passengers.
She is said to have walked under the front fuselage of the plane for a short time before leaving.
The woman allegedly ran back into the airport building and headed towards a Taxi rank.
When police arrived she was sitting in the rear seat of a Taxi.
Police documents state her "demeanor was poor" and she kept repeating the phrases "have a nice day" and "how can I help you?"
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker granted the woman bail, stating "remand in custody is unlikely to assist that at this time".
She said the defendant was "experiencing some type of mental health crisis".
"I'm anticipating [this] has caused her to engage in conduct that has caused her to inadvertently cause a risk to herself and others," Ms Walker stated.
On Friday, the 19-year-old was granted bail with a curfew, and conditions not to enter the grounds of Canberra Airport.
The court ordered the woman complete a mental health report and return to court next week.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
