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Virgin Australia plane in hijack alert after drunk passenger storms cockpit Virgin Australia plane in hijack alert after drunk passenger storms cockpit
(about 11 hours later)
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. A drunk passenger who caused a hijack scare by attempting to force his way into the cockpit of a Virgin Australia flight has been arrested after the plane landed safely in Bali.
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. The Australian man, named by local media as Matt Christopher, began acting aggressively and pounding on the cockpit door mid flight en route from Brisbane, Australia to the holiday island.
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. The commotion prompted the pilots to transmit the “7500” code, indicating a hijack was in progress, before the crew were able to handcuff the culprit.
Several planes bound for Bali were diverted to other Indonesian airports, and departures from Denpasar were grounded during the incident. Flight VA41 landed safely as scheduled, but the hijack scare led to the airport being closed for nearly two hours, forcing several flights to be diverted, Indonesian air force base commander Col. Sugiharto Prapto said.
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.” Upon landing, the man was taken into custody by air force troops, scores of which quickly surrounded the jet. He is being held for creating a disturbance and investigators said they were waiting for him to sober up before questioning.
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. Col. Prapto said the plane was directed to park at the end of the runway in case explosives or weapons were involved. “We immediately took appropriate security measures involving troops because the initial information that we got was that the plane was hijacked,” he said.
Early statements from the Indonesian air force indicated officials believed a hijack had indeed taken place.
Bali police chief Maj. Gen. Benny Mokalu told reporters that after the man began beating on the locked cockpit door, the pilot issued the alert code to air traffic control. The crew then managed to restrain the man and put him in a rear seat for the remaining hour of the flight.
The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 137 passengers and seven crew members from Brisbane, Australia, to Bali, which is a leading tourist destination for Australians.
No passengers or crew were hurt in the incident, according to the airline.
The Australian authorities are on high alert due to potential security risks in Indonesia. Bomb attacks in Bali in 2002 and 2005 killed more than 200 people, many of them Australian holidaymakers.
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.”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.”