A West Australian man has been charged with several offences after allegedly trying to open a Qantas plane door mid-flight, according to authorities.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the 41-year-old man was charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft and disorderly behaviour while on the Perth-bound flight.
“AFP officers at Perth Airport responded to an airline request for assistance and met a flight as it arrived from Karratha on Sept. 21, 2026,” police said in the news release. “Police will allege the man, 41, verbally abused a fellow passenger on the flight before he pushed and kicked the seat in front of him. When cabin crew approached and attempted to intervene, he allegedly abused them.”
The man then allegedly ignored directions from the cabin crew to fasten his seatbelt in preparation for landing and attempted to open the forward passenger door while the aircraft was in flight.
He was escorted from the plane upon its arrival to Perth Airport.
“The man then allegedly became aggressive towards officers and failed to comply with police directions, resulting in officers restraining the man,” according to police.
Get breaking National news
Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.
The man was charged with causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, which carries a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison, and endangering the safety of an aircraft, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He was also charged with not complying with crew instructions and disorderly behaviour.
The passenger was granted bail at court and is due to appear in court next on Nov. 27.
AFP Acting Superintendent Hayly Faithfull said the AFP and its partners were committed to ensuring the safety of the travelling public and maintaining aviation security.
“There is no place for violence or disorderly behaviour on our planes or in our airports. Passengers, cabin crew, airline staff and our officers should not be subjected to anti-social behaviour,” Faithfull said in a statement.
“The AFP is committed to working closely with airline partners and airport authorities to respond to incidents when they occur, and to take appropriate action where behaviour may be considered to be in breach of the law.”
This marks yet another incident involving a passenger attempting to open an aircraft door mid-flight.
In July 2025, a flight from Omaha, Neb., to Detroit was diverted due to an “unruly passenger,” according to police.
SkyWest Flight 3612, which was operating as a Delta connection for the flight, left Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and was diverted to the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, because of an “in-air disturbance” by a passenger.
The passenger allegedly got into an altercation with a flight attendant and attempted to open an emergency exit door mid-flight.
“The flight diverted to Cedar Rapids where police officers met the flight and arrested the individual,” the Cedar Rapids Police Department said in a press release.
The passenger was transported to Linn County Correctional Centre and charged with disorderly conduct, assault, possession of prescription medication, a tax stamp violation and first-degree harassment.
In a statement, SkyWest Airlines said it has a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behaviour, “as safety for our customers and crew is our top priority.”
In April 2025, a man was arrested and charged after he allegedly attempted to open the emergency exit doors of an AirAsia X plane mid-flight twice.
The incident took place on a Sydney-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to Australian Federal Police.
After the man was escorted to a seat in the middle of the aircraft, he allegedly once again tried to open a different emergency exit door and was then restrained by the plane’s crew. During the interaction, the man allegedly assaulted one of the plane’s employees.
“The man was then restrained by crew and passengers, during which he allegedly assaulted an airline staff member,” police said.
He was charged with two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft and one count of assaulting cabin crew. He was arrested by police when the flight landed at Sydney International Airport.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
About the Author
