An Aussie will face court after allegedly punching an airport wall in an intoxicated rage.
The n Federal Police were called to the domestic terminal at Perth Airport on March 24 after a 37-year-old from Byford, in the city’s east, attempted to board a plane headed for Melbourne.
Police will allege the man was intoxicated when he began making his way onto the aircraft but, due to his drunken state, cabin crew asked the 37-year-old to disembark.
‘He was allegedly loud and aggressive towards them and later punched the wall outside a boarding gate with an open palm,’ AFP said in a statement.
‘AFP officers attended and arrested the man when he allegedly refused to identify himself.’
The Byford man was charged with one count of acting in a disorderly manner in public and one count of failure to comply with a request.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $6,000.
AFP Detective Inspector Peter Brindal warned police would not tolerate disorderly or violent behaviour.
‘Our airports are a shared, safe space and airport and airline staff should not have to deal with intoxicated passengers, verbal abuse or any other bad behaviour,’ he said.
Det Insp Brindal also applauded officers’ quick response to the alleged incident.
‘The AFP works closely with our partners in the airline industry to intervene if anyone’s behaviour in or around an airport becomes aggressive,’ he said.
Footage of the arrest shows at least four officers surrounded the Byford man before he was handcuffed and escorted from the airport.
He is expected to appear before Perth Magistrates Court on Monday.
The news of the Perth man’s arrest comes just days after a passenger flying from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney allegedly tried to open the plane door mid-air.
Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, a 46-year-old Jordanian man, is accused of trying to open the rear emergency exit door on an AirAsia X flight on Saturday evening.
The alleged act sparked immediate concern from crew and passengers and Alsaaydeh was escorted back to a seat in the middle of the plane.
However, the 46-year-old allegedly made a second attempt to open the middle emergency exit door.
He was restrained by crew members and passengers with one worker allegedly assaulted in the process.
n Federal Police arrested Alsaaydeh once the Air Asia plane landed safely in Sydney.
Alsaaydeh was charged with two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft, as well as one count of assaulting crew members.
Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars.
Alsaaydeh is due to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.