Man arrested for running naked through aircraft, knocking over flight attendant
A Virgin Australia flight on Monday night had to turn back after a passenger ran naked through the cabin and pushed over a flight attendant, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
Flight VA696 had departed Perth as scheduled and was about an hour en route to Melbourne when the incident occurred, prompting the pilots to return to Perth, as reported by FlightAware.
“Appropriate steps were taken by the crew, in line with protocol” to manage the “disruptive passenger,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson told in an email statement.
AFP officers met the plane upon its safe landing in Perth and arrested a man who allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight, knocking a crew member to the floor, according to an AFP spokesperson in an email.
The passenger is currently being assessed at a local hospital and is expected to appear before Perth Magistrates Court on June 14, with charges yet to be finalized, the AFP stated.
A passenger onboard the flight told the Guardian Australia, “All of a sudden I hear this running up the aisle and the guy’s got no clothes on and he’s just charging towards the front of the plane.” The passenger added that there was “a lot of yelling and screaming.”
“The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority, and we sincerely apologize to those affected,” the airline stated.
The aircraft later continued to Melbourne, landing 28 minutes late.
Last month, a disruptive passenger on a United Airlines flight was charged $20,638 in restitution fees after causing the flight to be diverted by threatening to “mess up the plane” during a loud argument with his girlfriend.
