Man arrested after allegedly attempting to open plane door twice mid-flight – National
A man was arrested and charged after he allegedly attempted to open the emergency exit doors of an AirAsia X plane mid-flight twice on Saturday.
The incident took place on a Sydney-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to Australian Federal Police (AFP).
After the man was escorted to a seat in the middle of the aircraft, he allegedly once again tried to open a different emergency exit door and was then restrained by the plane’s crew. During the interaction, the man allegedly assaulted one of the plane’s employees.
“The man was then restrained by crew and passengers, during which he allegedly assaulted an airline staff member,” police said.
Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, 46, from Jordan, has been charged with two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft and one count of assaulting cabin crew. He was arrested by police when the flight landed at Sydney International Airport.
According to police, each offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
AFP detective acting Supt. Davina Copelin said dangerous behaviour on aircraft will not be tolerated.
“The actions of this man could have had tragic consequences, and passengers and airplane staff shouldn’t have to put up with unruly, violent, or dangerous behaviour on flights,” Copelin said.
“The AFP will not hesitate to take action against people who engage in criminal behaviour on airplanes, especially where this behaviour has the potential to endanger the safety of passengers, crew or the flight itself.”
In a statement, AirAsia X said its cabin crew took the necessary steps needed to protect everyone on board the flight.
“At no time was the safety of guests or crew compromised,” the statement said. “AirAsia has a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour of any kind.”
In Alsaaydeh’s bail application, his lawyers claimed that he had taken two medications, pseudoephedrine and a sleeping pill, and consumed alcohol before boarding the flight, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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His lawyers claim that Alsaaydeh has no memory of the incident.
“I can’t think of anything more terrifying than someone at 30,000 feet trying to manipulate the exit doors on an airplane,” magistrate Anthony Spence said in court.
Alsaaydeh’s lawyers told the court that he works for the Jordanian government in nuclear waste management and was travelling to Australia to meet with government officials.
“Mr. Alsaaydeh tells me that the meeting he came here for is tomorrow [April 7] and involves six government officials and conversation will be around the procedures used in Jordan with regards to the transport of those materials,” the lawyer said.
Spence ruled against granting Alsaaydeh bail due to the seriousness of the offence and on the grounds that it would pose an “unacceptable risk to the community.”
Alsaaydeh is due back in the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, Australia, on April 8.
The incident comes after a plane flying from Bali, Indonesia to Melbourne, Australia was forced to turn around after a passenger tried to open the door.
The plane turned around after a “disruptive” passenger attempted to open the plane’s door over an hour into the flight on March 31, according to Jetstar.
The passenger was removed from the plane by local authorities in Bali, the airline added in the statement.
A passenger on the flight posted a video to social media of the captain addressing the situation to the passengers.
“There was a lady down the back at the aircraft that tried to physically open the door. She lifted the handle. We got a door warning at the front of the aircraft,” the voice is heard telling the passengers over the PA system.
“For the safety of the aircraft, the possibility of the door opening also in flight…. Unfortunately, the safest course of action was to come back here and to return to land.”
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