Man arrested at Melbourne airport after causing chaos on aircraft

A man was arrested Thursday at Melbourne Airport in Australia after leaving the parked aircraft he was on through an emergency exit and walking along a wing. After walking on the right-hand extension of the aircraft, the passenger descended through a jet engine onto the runway, ABC News reports.

Plane Passenger Opens Emergency Door to Get Some Fresh Air

The flight, from Sydney, had landed at Melbourne Airport and had stopped at a gate in the terminal. Instead of waiting for the orderly departure of all passengers, the arrested man decided to leave the plane through the exit on the right side, according to authorities, causing panic in the rest of the passengers.

The emergency door automatically activated a slide, which immediately deployed over the airfield runway from the rear of the wing, but the man preferred to walk on the right flank and step off it by descending down the engine.

Just In ! For reason unknown at this time, a passenger has forced open one of the cabin emergency door (right side) of a Jetstar Airbus A320-200 aircraft (VH-VFL) at Melbourne International Airport, after the flight JQ507 from Sydney.

The passenger jumped out of the cabin on the… pic.twitter.com/LpLArJ0SKj

— FL360aero (@fl360aero) August 22, 2024

The man was not seated next to the emergency exit, but “got up and ran” to it from his seat “as soon as the plane started to stop”, according to a passenger who explained to a local radio station, who added that the arrested man “showed quite strange behavior”.

The Melbourne Federal Police received the tip-off from airport staff and proceeded to arrest the man for “alleged aggressive behavior and violation of aircraft safety protocols”, according to a police statement reported by the aforementioned media. The note also indicates that the traveler received medical attention and was subsequently transferred to the hospital, where he remains for further evaluation.

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Melbourne airport, for its part, says it is “proud” of the “exceptional” response of the runway personnel present, and specifies that there was no danger to other passengers or airport workers, according to an airport statement.

-Thailand News (TN)