Australian man denied alcohol on Auckland flight accused of touching passengers, endangering safety
A man on a flight to Australia from Auckland is being accused of touching other passengers and endangering aircraft safety after cabin crew refused to serve him more alcohol.
The 58-year-old, who lives in West Australia, is alleged to have consumed his own alcohol onboard and become verbally abusive when Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers met the plane on arrival in Perth.
He appeared in Perth Magistrates Court last week to face charges of disorderly behaviour and three Civil Aviation Safety Regulation offences.
AFP said they received a request for assistance at Perth Airport from an unspecified airline on March 26 regarding a disorderly male passenger inbound from Auckland.
It is alleged the disruption stemmed from cabin crew refusing to serve the man alcohol, having found evidence of him consuming his own onboard in breach of aviation safety regulations.
Following the cabin crew’s decision, AFP said the man allegedly touched other passengers and ignored cabin crew instructions, becoming verbally abusive when they landed at Perth Airport.
The 58-year-old was charged with one count of behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place, which carries a fine of up to A$6000 ($7330) if found guilty.
He was also charged with three violations of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, each carrying a maximum penalty of a A$15,650 ($19,107) fine.
These related to drinking alcohol not provided by a crew member, behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner and endangering the safety of the aircraft or its passengers, and failing to comply with cabin crew instructions.
“Disruptive, abusive or disorderly behaviour on aircraft will not be tolerated, and no passengers or cabin staff should be subjected to anti-social behaviour,” said AFP Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal.
“The AFP works closely with airline partners and airport authorities to respond to incidents when they occur, and takes appropriate action where behaviour breaches the law.”
Air New Zealand and Qantas are the only two airlines operating a non-stop service between Auckland and Perth, with Qantas reintroducing three flights a week last December after ending its seasonal service in 2018.
Air NZ also runs a seasonal service between Christchurch and Perth twice weekly from December to April.
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