'Passenger from hell' forced an emergency landing on a flight to Bali by yelling, banging on the cockpit door, and knocking a man's glasses off

18.03.2024 - 11:15 / insider.com / Airlines

A flight to tourist hot spot Bali had to make an emergency landing after a disruptive passenger shouted at other customers and banged on the cockpit door.

Monday's flight from Melbourne to the Indonesian island, on Australian budget airline Jetstar, turned back around two hours into the journey, data from Flightradar24 shows.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with over 300 passengers on board landed back in Melbourne four hours after taking off.

One person on the flight described the woman as a "passenger from hell," according to News.com.au.

The outlet also reported that she was banging on the cockpit door and said she believed somebody had stolen her phone.

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In a video obtained by 9News Sydney, the passenger swears at other customers before being restrained by another flyer.

A Jetstar flight from Melbourne to Bali has had to turn back mid-flight due to an unruly passenger. #9News pic.twitter.com/7V2yigjqrm

Emma, a passenger on the flight, told Australian radio station 3AW that the woman was roaming through the aisle and spitting at others on the flight.

She added that after one man made a comment to the unruly passenger, "She got right up in his face and abused the absolute hell out of him and smashed his glasses off his face. "

"She was just constantly swearing and yelling the whole time," Adrianne, another witness, told 3AW. "There was no way of calming her down."

In a statement, Jetstar said: "We know this was a difficult experience for other customers and our team members, and we thank those who assisted with the situation."

It said a replacement flight was scheduled for Tuesday morning, and the carrier would provide overnight accommodation and pay for passengers' meal expenses.

"The safety of our customers and crew is our priority," Jetstar added.