Man’s alleged drunken mid-flight act
A Canadian citizen who allegedly attempted to open an aircraft emergency door in the middle of an international flight from Vancouver to Sydney will fight the charge in court.
Rahulreet Singh Mann, 33, pleaded not guilty at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday to a single charge of threatening the safety of an aircraft following the flight on May 14.
Police allege Mr Mann was spotted by another passenger trying to open an emergency exit door about 15.5 hours into Air Canada flight AC33, before the man pulled him away.
Airline staff took man to a seat in the back of the plane and supervised him for the rest of the flight.
“It will be alleged the man was intoxicated at the time of the incident,” an AFP spokesman said.
When the plane touched down in Sydney, he was arrested and charged with an alleged breach of the Civil Aviation Act of threaten safety of aircraft.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Inspector Dom Stephenson says passengers should feel safe and not have to endure reckless behaviour while flying.
“The AFP and our aviation partners have no tolerance for anti-social, violent or dangerous behaviour and we will take action,” he said.
“Passengers expect to feel safe and should not have to witness or endure intoxication or reckless behaviour.”
Documents tendered to court reveal Mr Mann currently resides at an address in Fletcher, an outer suburb of Newcastle.
If found guilty and convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a $5000 fine, or both.
