A Jetstar passenger jet was returning to Melbourne, Australia, from Bali, Indonesia. The latter even requiring it to turn around mid-flight just after a passenger attempted to open one of the aircraft’s doors. The mishap happened in the skies over the Indian Ocean, about an hour into the flight, which was transporting more than 200 souls.
The Lion Air flight departed from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. Because of the dire circumstances, it was turned around and redirected back to Bali. Local authorities arrested the unruly passenger after the flight returned to the airport.
Jetstar acknowledged what happened in a statement. They reiterated that the safety and welfare of their customers and crew is always their highest priority and expressed their gratitude to all for how they managed with them through this incident. The airline reiterated its zero-tolerance policy regarding such behavior, stating, “This sort of unacceptable behavior will never be tolerated on our flights.”
As flight tracking site Flightradar24 first confirmed, the plane’s turnaround from orbit was a startlingly dramatic reversal of its intended path. This occurrence is just the latest in a string of incidents involving unruly passengers taking over flights.
On a different American Airlines flight, this one from Milwaukee to Dallas, an individual opened the emergency exit. This irresponsible act severely injured a flight attendant while in-flight. On that occasion, other passengers took matters into their own hands and duct-taped the disruptive passenger to his seat to subdue him. The incident Passenger on Asiana Airlines Flight 3211 was on approach to land at Daegu International Airport when a disgruntled passenger opened the emergency door. They were uncomfortable and claustrophobic and needed to get off that plane immediately.
These episodes have created a new sense of alarm over passenger conduct onboard flights. They found no evidence linking them directly. As we emerge from the chaos of COVID, the Jetstar incident reminds us that the pressure airlines face to maintain safety and security is greater than ever.
