Passenger allegedly assaults cabin crew and scratches AFP officers pulling her off plane at Sydney Airport

7NEWS

23-04-2025

A passenger has been pulled off a flight and charged over 'frightening' alleged behaviour on Monday.
The 44-year-old West Australian woman allegedly became physically and verbally abusive towards airline staff on a flight from New Zealand to Sydney.
Cabin crew spoke to the woman 'on several occasions about her alleged inappropriate, disruptive and antisocial behaviour', the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Tuesday.
The crew then called AFP officers to take the woman off the plane when it landed at Sydney Airport.
Two officers boarded the plane to remove her but she allegedly refused to follow instructions.
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The 44-year-old passenger then allegedly assaulted the officers, scratching their arms and elbows.
She was charged with one count of assaulting a crew member of a Division 3 aircraft, two counts of resisting Commonwealth public officials, two counts of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, and one count of offensive and disorderly behaviour on an aircraft.
If found guilty of all of charges, the woman faces a maximum possible cumulative penalty of 24 years in jail and a $16,500 fine.
The 44-year-old appeared in Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Tuesday, with the case adjourned to June.
'It would be particularly frightening to be trapped in a confined space in the air with someone behaving badly,' AFP acting Sydney Airport Police Commander Daniel Hunt said.
'All passengers and airline staff have the right to feel safe.
'AFP officers responding to calls for assistance at our airports should be able to do so without being subjected to violence and aggression.
'Travellers who break the law will be dealt with swiftly.'