A 45-year-old Jordanian man, Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, allegedly attempted to open the doors of a plane bound for Sydney on Saturday evening, prompting crew and passengers to restrain him. The disturbance forced the airline to request police assistance upon landing.
Alsaaydeh is facing two charges of endangering the safety of an aircraft and one charge of assaulting a cabin crew member. He is scheduled to appear at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
Authorities allege that he first tried to open the rear emergency exit on an AirAsia X flight from Kuala Lumpur, after which staff moved him to a middle seat. He then attempted to open the middle emergency exit door and allegedly assaulted a crew member while being restrained.
Australian Federal Police met the flight upon arrival, and each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. AFP acting superintendent Davina Copelin condemned the behaviour, stressing that such actions could have had tragic consequences and will not be tolerated.
AirAsia X stated that crew took necessary steps to ensure safety and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy on inappropriate behaviour.
The incident follows a similar case earlier in the week, where a Jetstar flight from Bali to Melbourne turned back after a woman attempted to open a cabin door mid-flight. She reportedly wanted a different seat and was later arrested and banned from flying with Jetstar.
In a separate incident, a New Zealand man was charged after allegedly assaulting a Qantas staff member and two others at Sydney Airport.
