A man was arrested at an Australian airport after running naked down the aisle of a domestic flight, knocking over a flight attendant and causing the plane to return to its departure city, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Virgin Australia flight VA696 from Perth to Melbourne, which was scheduled to be a 3-hour and 30-minute journey. According to AP, the disruption took place on Monday night.
Virgin Australia issued an official statement, saying, "Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to a disruptive passenger. Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and the disruptive guest was offloaded."
Police officers arrested the man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor. The man was taken to a hospital for assessment and remains there, according to police.
It is still unclear how or where the passenger removed his clothes on the plane. The man is expected to appear in a Perth court on June 14, though the specific charges have not been determined yet.
Virgin Australia apologized to the passengers affected by the incident, emphasizing that their safety is the airline's top priority. Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that no injuries were sustained during the incident.
In a separate bizarre incident, a video recently went viral showing a woman stretching her feet inside an overhead luggage compartment on a Southwest Airlines flight. The flight, scheduled from Albuquerque to Phoenix on May 6, saw the woman sleeping peacefully in the storage space while other passengers chuckled. However, it remains unclear how she managed to reach the compartment.
Earlier, a flight attendant from Southwest Airlines pulled a similar prank by hiding in an overhead bin before boarding. The incident was captured on video by a surprised passenger named Veronica Lloyd, who was traveling to Pennsylvania. The airline clarified later that the flight attendant climbed down from the compartment after about 10 minutes, and the flight proceeded without further disruptions.
IndiGo Flight Returns to Mumbai After Extra Passenger Found Standing: How it Happened?
Cyclone Remal to Intensify, Expected to Hit Bangladesh and West Bengal Tonight
Singapore Airlines Emergency Landing Spotlights High-Risk Air Routes