This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/virgin-airlines-plane-hijacked-en-route-to-bali-9285230.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Drunk man prompts hijack alert on Virgin Airlines flight Virgin Australia plane in hijack alert after drunk passenger storms cockpit
(35 minutes later)
A man has been arrested in Bali airport, Indonesia after the pilot of a Virgin Australian Airport flight reported an attempted hijack. An apparently drunk passenger precipitated a major security alert aboard a Virgin Australia jet at the end of a flight from Brisbane to Bali today.
The flight, which was travelling from Brisbane, Australia to the holiday island of Bali reportedly issued the alert after a man tried to enter the cockpit. Flight VA41 had flown normally from the Queensland capital to the Indonesian holiday island. It landed at the international airport of Denpasar at 3.15pm local time. Reports say that a passenger tried to enter the cockpit and take over the plane, and the pilots transmitted the “7500” code, indicating a hijack was in progress.
Indonesia's Metro TV had earlier cited an Indonesian air force spokesman as saying the plane had been hijacked. An Indonesian air-force spokesman told the BBC that troops had boarded the plane and a passenger had been arrested. A Virgin Australia official was quoted by Indonesian TV as saying the passenger had been drunk and the plane had not been hijacked.
But a Virgin official has since said the plane was not hijacked, adding that the passenger who attempted to enter the cockpit was drunk. Several planes bound for Bali were diverted to other Indonesian airports, and departures from Denpasar were grounded during the incident.
Heru Sudjatmiko, airport manager for Virgin Australia, said that the man was acting aggressively and was handcuffed by the crew. Virgin Atlantic, the UK-based airline, tweeted: “We're aware of the news reports & we can confirm this is NOT a Virgin Atlantic flight. All Virgin Atlantic aircraft are accounted for & safe.”
He was then taken into custody after the plane landed. The Australian authorities remain on high alert about the security risks in Indonesia. Bomb attacks in Bali in 2002 and 2005 killed more than 200 people, many of them Australian holidaymakers.
All passengers were unharmed and the flight has been evacuated, an Indonesian air force spokesman has now said. The government’s current travel advice warns: “Terrorists have previously attacked or planned to attack places where Westerners gather, including nightclubs, bars, restaurants, international hotels, airports and places of worship in Bali, Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia. These types of venues could be targeted again.”
Virgin Australia Airlines, formerly Virgin Blue Airlines, is Australia's second-largest airline as well as the largest by fleet size to use the Virgin brand.