Man arrested for 'running naked on a plane'

A man has been arrested after allegedly running naked down the aisle of a Virgin Australia plane and knocking over a flight attendant, forcing the plane to turn around.

The incident, which took place on a flight from Perth to Melbourne on Monday evening, led to the man being taken to hospital for assessment, according to a police statement shared with The Associated Press.

The flight was scheduled to last three and a half hours when the disruptive incident occurred early on. It was reported that Virgin Australia said the plane returned to Perth Airport due to the “disruptive passenger” and that Australian Federal Police officers were waiting at the airport to apprehend the man. “The disruptive guest has been disembarked,” the airline said in a widely reported statement.

Australian Federal Police confirmed the arrest and noted the man was taken to hospital for assessment. “Officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked across the plane mid-flight and threw a crew member to the ground,” police said in their statement.

News week has contacted Virgin Australia and the Australian Federal Police for further comment via email.

The circumstances that led the man to undress on the plane remain unclear.

Police said the man was likely to face charges and was expected to appear in a Perth court on June 14, according to reports. The specific charges he will face have not yet been finalized.

The AP reported that Virgin Australia said the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority. “We apologize to our guests affected by this incident,” a statement from the airline said.

This incident joins a series of events in recent years involving disruptive passengers on flights around the world. Airlines and authorities have stressed the importance of maintaining order and security in the skies, particularly in light of increased travel disruptions and altercations between passengers since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration investigates reported incidents of unruly passengers. In 2023, there were 2,075 such reports, down from the peak of 5,973 in 2021 but higher than pre-pandemic numbers, according to FAA data. The federal agency levied $7.5 million in fines last year. Between January and April 2024, the FAA received 649 reports of unruly passengers, an increase of 10.7% from the same period last year.

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