Bali hijack alert 'caused by drunk Virgin Australia passenger'
- 10 years ago
A hijack scare on board a Virgin Australia flight to Bali turned out to have been caused by the actions of a drunken passenger, officials said.
A 28-year-old man was arrested at the Indonesian island’s airport.
During the flight from Brisbane he had reportedly tried to break into the cockpit of the Boeing 737 an hour before it was due to land.
There was confusion as crew members seized the passenger and handcuffed him, while the pilot alerted air traffic controllers about a possible hijack attempt.
An airline manager said the man had been drunk, behaving aggressively as he banged on the cockpit door. He was reportedly travelling alone.
Bali airport later re-opened after being closed for a few hours. Virgin Australia said the pilot’s hijack alert had been a “miscommunication”.
A 28-year-old man was arrested at the Indonesian island’s airport.
During the flight from Brisbane he had reportedly tried to break into the cockpit of the Boeing 737 an hour before it was due to land.
There was confusion as crew members seized the passenger and handcuffed him, while the pilot alerted air traffic controllers about a possible hijack attempt.
An airline manager said the man had been drunk, behaving aggressively as he banged on the cockpit door. He was reportedly travelling alone.
Bali airport later re-opened after being closed for a few hours. Virgin Australia said the pilot’s hijack alert had been a “miscommunication”.