A Western Australian man has been charged with several offenses after allegedly attempting to open the door of a Qantas plane mid-flight, authorities say. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the 41-year-old man was charged with endangering the security of an aircraft and disturbing the peace during the flight to Perth. “AFP officers at Perth Airport responded to a request for assistance from an airline and encountered a flight arriving from Karratha on 21 September 2026,” police said in the media release. “Police will allege that the man, 41, verbally abused a fellow passenger on the flight before pushing and kicking the seat in front of him. When cabin crew approached and tried to intervene, he allegedly abused them.” 3:55 Travel Tips: From the Prairies to Australia The man allegedly ignored cabin crew instructions to fasten his seat belt in preparation for landing and attempted to open the front passenger door while the plane was in flight. He was escorted from the plane upon arrival at Perth Airport. “The man allegedly became aggressive towards officers and did not comply with police instructions, which resulted in officers restraining him,” according to police. Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. The man was charged with causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, which carries a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison, and endangering the safety of an aircraft, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He was also charged with failure to comply with crew instructions and disorderly conduct. The passenger was granted bail in court and is due to appear in court on November 27. and maintain aviation security. “There is no place for violence or disorderly behavior on our planes or at our airports. Passengers, cabin crew, airline staff and our officers should not be subjected to anti-social behaviour,” Faithfull said in a statement. “The AFP is committed to working closely with airline partners and airport authorities to respond to incidents when they occur and take appropriate action where behavior may be considered contrary to the law.” Story continues below ad This marks yet another incident involving a passenger attempting to open a plane door mid-flight. 0:27 Canadian opens plane door on Thai Airways flight before takeoff More on World More videos In July 2025, a flight from Omaha, Neb., to Detroit was diverted due to an “unruly passenger,” according to police. SkyWest Flight 3612, which was operating as a Delta feeder for the flight, departed Omaha’s Eppley Airfield and was diverted to Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, due to a “mid-air disturbance” by a passenger. The passenger allegedly got into an altercation with a flight attendant and attempted to open an emergency exit door mid-flight. “The flight was diverted to Cedar Rapids, where police officers encountered the flight and arrested the individual,” the Cedar Rapids Police Department said in a news release. The passenger was transported to the Linn County Correctional Facility and charged with disorderly conduct, assault, possession of prescription drugs, tax stamp violation and first-degree harassment. In a statement, SkyWest Airlines said it has a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior, “as the safety of our customers and crew is our top priority.” In April 2025, a man was arrested and charged after he allegedly twice attempted to open the emergency exit doors of an AirAsia The incident took place on a Sydney-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to the Australian Federal Police. After the man was escorted to a seat in the middle of the plane, he allegedly once again attempted to open a different emergency exit door and was then restrained by the plane 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 a member of airline staff,” police said. He was 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. © 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.