An Australian man has been ordered to pay an airline more than AU $8,000 to cover the cost of fuel for a flight that was forced to divert due to his unruly behavior.
The man was flying on a domestic flight from Perth to Sydney on September 25, 2023, but his behavior became so disruptive that the pilots decided to return to the Western Australian capital in order to have him removed by federal police.
Before landing back in Perth, the pilots were forced to dump fuel to bring the aircraft down to a safe landing weight, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses for the airline.
The aircraft landed without incident but the flight then had to be canceled which resulted in even more losses for the airline involved in the incident.
Following his arrest, the man was charged with disruptive behavior and failing to comply with safety instructions from aircrew. He pleaded guilty to both offenses on September 5 and was sentenced on Monday.
As well as being told to pay the airline $8,630 to cover the cost of fuel, the man has also been fined $9,000 during a hearing at Perth Magistrates Court.
“This incident should serve as a warning that criminal behaviour on board can come at a heavy cost to the offender,” commented AFP Acting Superintendent Shona Davis after the man was sentenced.
“It’s far simpler to obey the directions of airline staff than cause unnecessary issues, which can end up hitting you in the hip pocket,” Davis continued.
Just hours after the man in this incident was sentenced, however, another passenger on a domestic flight from Brisbane to Darwin on Monday was charged with committing an act of indecency on a female passenger.
The man has been charged with committing two acts of indecency and, if found guilty, faces a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison.
