A Jetstar flight from Bali to Melbourne was forced to turn around mid-air after a passenger attempted to open an aircraft door in what fellow travellers described as a “nightmare” ordeal.
Flight JQ-34 departed Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport at 8:40 pm local time on Monday, carrying more than 200 passengers. About two hours into the journey, as the plane cruised at 33,000 feet over the Indian Ocean, a woman reportedly tugged at an emergency exit, trying to open it.
Jetstar confirmed the incident, saying the flight had to return to Bali due to the passenger’s disruptive behaviour. “The safety and welfare of our customers and crew is our top priority, and we thank them for the way they responded to the situation,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.
“This sort of unacceptable behaviour will never be tolerated on our flights.”
Upon landing back in Denpasar, local authorities removed the woman from the aircraft. The flight was subsequently cancelled, and passengers were booked onto an alternative service.
One passenger, who shared his experience on Instagram, called it an “absolute nightmare.”
“Two hours in, a lady tried opening the emergency door because she wanted to get off mid-air. We had to turn around and land back in Bali for her to get arrested. There were 260 angry and scared passengers.”
A video recorded on board captured the captain explaining the “unpleasant situation” to passengers.
“A lady at the back of the aircraft tried to physically open the door and lifted the handle. We got a door warning … the safest course of action was to return.”
Another fellow passenger later revealed the woman’s bizarre motivation—she allegedly wanted a reclining seat. “Turns out she was unhappy and wanted to sit somewhere else,” She said.
“So she decided to try and open the door, which triggered something to do with the emergency slide. It was a big panic, very, very scary.”
Passengers said an off-duty police officer stepped in to pull the woman away from the door before crew intervened. The airline reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on disruptive behaviour, stressing that safety remains its top priority.
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