A Qantas flight traveling from Melbourne to Dallas was briefly rerouted to Tahiti over the weekend after a man allegedly bit a flight attendant. The incident occurred during the 18-hour QF21 flight, and passengers and crew quickly came to the aid of the staff member who was reportedly attacked.
According to available information, no serious injuries were reported as a result of the alleged attack. The situation escalated to the point where the plane had to make an unscheduled stop at Papeete, the capital of Tahiti. There, the man was removed from the aircraft and met by local authorities. Qantas subsequently issued a no-fly ban against the individual.
After refueling, the plane resumed its journey and eventually arrived at its destination several hours late on Saturday morning Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
In response to the incident, a Qantas spokesperson emphasized that the safety of customers and crew is their top priority. They stated, “We have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights.”
This event follows a similar incident last month on a Canberra-to-Perth flight, where a man was charged after allegedly kicking a flight attendant and biting another passenger. The 45-year-old Queanbeyan man was reported to have shouted, sworn, and ignored instructions during the flight, according to Nine News.
An Australian Federal Police (AFP) spokesperson noted that the man kicked and pushed the seat in front of him and became aggressive towards a woman seated nearby.
In January, the AFP also reported an incident involving a Canberra woman on a flight to Perth. She was accused of behaving erratically towards another passenger as the plane prepared to take off, before assaulting a cabin crew member. The 52-year-old woman allegedly grabbed the flight attendant’s arm and head.
AFP officers boarded the plane, escorted the woman off the flight at Perth Airport, and charged her with the incident. At the time, AFP Acting Superintendent Hayley Faithfull highlighted that any aggressive or anti-social behavior on a flight could pose a direct threat to the safety of the plane and cause inconvenience to passengers.
“The AFP works closely with our airline partners to intervene if someone’s behaviour interferes with the safety of workers or the public on flights using major Australian airports,” she said.
The man involved in the recent incident on the Melbourne to Dallas flight is understood not to be an Australian citizen.
