Air New Zealand flight to Perth is forced to make emergency landing
An Air New Zealand passenger has been arrested over an alleged assault on a crew member that led to the international flight being diverted.
Flight NZ176 from Perth to Auckland was due to land in Melbourne at 1.40am on Wednesday; about three hours into the flight.
Australian Federal Police officers boarded the plane shortly afterwards and removed a 23-year-old New Zealand man.
He was charged with assaulting crew members who interfered with the performance of their duty and was due to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Passengers waited on the tarmac for 90 minutes before reboarding and continuing to Auckland.
An Air New Zealand spokesperson said while the crew had handled the incident well, it would have been confronting for passengers.
“Incidents like this are distressing for our customers and our people and we will not tolerate this type of behavior on our aircraft,” spokesman David Morgan said.
The incident occurred four days after a bomb threat on another Air New Zealand flight NZ-247 as it approached Sydney from Wellington about 4.50pm on Saturday.
The flight was cleared to land and landed safely at 5:37 p.m., where it was met by more than 30 emergency services on the tarmac, including the tactical operations unit, paramedics and firefighters.
The man is said to have been drunk and disruptive during the international flight. Photo: Australian Federal Police
The 23-year-old was removed from the flight by Australian Federal Police. Photo: Australian Federal Police.
The A320 aircraft, which was carrying 154 staff and passengers, was isolated on a separate runway at the airport for about an hour before being transferred to a terminal.
An AFP spokesperson said the incident did not pose a danger to the public but that “investigations are continuing.”