Passenger arrested after hijack scare on Virgin Australia flight to Bali

Passenger believed to be drunk attempts to enter the plane's cockpit on flight from Brisbane to Indonesian island of Bali

theguardian.com, Peter Walker and agencies, Friday 25 April 2014

A Virgin Australia plane flying to Bali was the focus of a hijack scare after an apparently drunk passenger attempted to enter the plane's cockpit.

The security alert began when Indonesian officials said the pilot of the Boeing 737 flight from Brisbane reported a hijack attempt. When the plane landed at Bali's airport it was escorted away from the terminal by military trucks, with other flights grounded, witnesses at the airport said.

However, the local airport manager for Virgin Australia, Heru Sudjatmiko, told local TV the disturbance was caused by a seemingly drunk passenger, a 28-year-old Australian, who was acting aggressively and had to be handcuffed by crew after trying to enter the cockpit.

Drunken Australian passenger arrested by 

Indonesian police after sparking hijack alert

on Bali-bound plane. (AFP)

"This is no hijacking, this is a miscommunication," he was quoted as saying by AFP. "What happened was there was a drunk person. Too much alcohol consumption caused him to act aggressively.

"Based on the report I received, the passenger tried to enter the cockpit, through the cockpit door, by banging on the door but he did not enter the cockpit at all."

The man, named by Indonesian officials as Matt Christopher Lockley, was apprehended by crew members before being handcuffed and put in a seat at the back of the plane. After the flight landed he was removed and arrested.

"The police are having difficulty digging up information on what he intended to do because he is still in an unstable condition," a police official at Bali airport told reporters. A member of the flight crew told police that Lockley had appeared "paranoid". His blood is being tested for alcohol and drugs.

Indonesian military officials said later that no one on board had been injured and the 137 passengers were evacuated.

Virgin Australia Airlines, formerly Virgin Blue Airlines, is Australia's second-largest airline as well as the largest by fleet size to use the Virgin brand.

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