Jetstar flight to Melbourne returns to Bali after woman tries to open plane door mid-flight
A reality TV star who was also on the flight said the incident was sparked by a dispute over a reclining seat
The flight, identified as JQ34, took off from the Indonesian resort island around 8.40pm local time on Monday. It had been airborne for more than an hour when a woman allegedly tried to open one of the plane’s doors, sparking panic among the 260 passengers on board.
The aircraft was travelling at a height of about 32,000 feet (9753 metres) when the incident occurred, according to tracking service Flightradar 24.
The plane then returned to the Bali provincial capital Denpasar, citing safety reasons, and landed at around 10.45pm.
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“We had an aircraft return to Denpasar last night after a disruptive passenger attempted to open one of the aircraft doors and was abusive to our crew,” a Jetstar spokesperson told Australian daily newspaper The Nightly.
Australian reality TV star Brooke Jowett, who was aboard the plane, shared details of the incident on her social media account.