07 December 2024, 9:01am
Media Release
NSW man convicted of disorderly behaviour after refusing to disembark plane at Perth Airport
Editor’s note: Footage of the incident available via Hightail
The AFP charged an allegedly intoxicated man with disorderly behaviour for refusing to disembark from a plane preparing to leave Perth Airport earlier this week.
The man, 55, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday (3 December, 2024), where he pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly behaviour in a public place. He received a $400 fine and a criminal conviction for the offence.
AFP officers arrested the man at Perth Airport on 2 December, 2024, after an airline requested police assistance to remove an allegedly intoxicated passenger from a flight that was due to depart Western Australia for overseas.
When AFP officers boarded the plane and spoke to the man, he refused to leave his seat and told officers they would “have to carry him".
AFP Superintendent Peter Hatch said officers carried the man off the plane and then put him in a wheelchair to take him through the terminal.
The man repeatedly swore as he was taken through the busy terminal.
No one was injured during the incident.
Superintendent Hatch said the public, airline workers and police should not have to put up with anti-social or aggressive behaviour from other passengers.
“People should be able to travel safely, and airline staff should be able to go about their work days, without having to deal with drunken belligerence,” Supt Hatch said.
“This type of behaviour will not be tolerated on aircraft or at airports, and nor should it be.
“As we head into the busy festive season, police will continue to work with the airline industry to target anyone who misbehaves on flights and put them before the courts where appropriate.
“This is also a good time to remind people to know their limits when consuming alcohol.”
