Summary
- A Virgin Australia flight was forced to turn back to Perth Airport due to a disruptive passenger.
- Allegedly, the perpetrator ran through the cabin naked and knocked down a flight attendant.
- Accordign to Australia’s civil aviation regulator, unruly and disruptive passengers may face fines and airlines can seek reimbursements for costs.
A Virgin Australia passenger traveling from Perth, Australia, to Melbourne, Australia, was apprehended and arrested following allegations that they ran through the cabin without any clothes on and knocked down a flight attendant in the process.
Returning back to Perth
According to a report by Australia-based 9News, Virgin Australia flight VA696 was forced to turn back to Perth Airport (PER) after a traveler allegedly ran through the cabin naked and knocked down one crew member on the ground on the flight on May 27, 2024.
Flightradar24 data showed that the Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800, registered as VH-YQG, departed PER at 19:34 local time (UTC +8). The aircraft, destined for Melbourne Airport (MEL), spent around an hour in the air before it began to turn back to PER at around 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) at 20:36.
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The Boeing 737-800 landed on runway 21/03 at PER at 21:57 and proceeded to taxi to the gate area without further incident. The flight crew never squawked 7700, which would have indicated a general emergency onboard the aircraft as it returned to the capital city of the state of Western Australia.
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Running naked
A Virgin Australia spokesperson told 9News that the flight was forced to return to PER due to a disruptive passenger without providing further details. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) met the passenger as soon as the aircraft landed, the representative added.
The outlet added that the man has remained in a hospital and has a hearing scheduled with the Perth Magistrates Court on June 14. However, charges have yet to be finalized, according to an AFP statement.
According to the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), an unruly or disruptive passenger could face multiple infringement notices relating to the same incident if several breaches of the civil aviation legislation had occurred.
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Furthermore, an airline that was forced to divert an aircraft due to unruly behavior could seek reimbursement for fuel-related costs, airport-related costs, payments to other passengers for inconveniences, and costs related to additional meals, accommodation, or alternative flights.
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The intoxicated and unruly passengers forced the crew to divert. The men were removed from the aircraft and could be fined up to $9000.
Alternative flights
Virgin Australia flight VA696 was one of six of the airline’s flights between PER and MEL on May 27, being the penultimate flight on the route. All flights, except the first flight of the day, VA678, were operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft, data from the aviation analytics company Cirium showed.
Photo: Peterfz30 | Shutterstock
On May 28, Virgin Australia has also scheduled flights on the route, with all of them being operated by Boeing 737-800s, seating 176 passengers. According to the airline’s website, its 737-800s are configured with three classes: Business, Economy X, Preferred seating, and Economy.
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