Drunk passenger on Virgin plane sparks Bali hijack alert

DENPASAR - Agence France-Presse

A drunk passenger sparked a hijack alert on a Virgin Australia flight heading for the Indonesian resort island of Bali April 25 when he attempted to break into the cockpit, officials said.

Security forces rushed to the airport when the Boeing 737-800 touched down on the popular resort island, after the pilot reported the Brisbane to Bali flight had been hijacked, Indonesian authorities said.

However, Virgin Australia said the drunken passenger had sparked a false alarm when he slammed on the cockpit door. Indonesian police named him as Matt Christopher and said he had been arrested.

"This is no hijacking, this is a miscommunication," said Heru Sudjatmiko, a Virgin Australia official in Bali.

"What happened was there was a drunk person... too much alcohol consumption caused him to act aggressively."

"Based on the report I received, the passenger tried to enter the cockpit, through the cockpit door, by banging on the door but he did not enter the cockpit at all." 

He said the individual was stopped by crew, handcuffed and placed in a seat at the back of the plane. After landing he was taken off the aircraft and put under arrest.

Transport ministry official Herry Bakti said the alert was triggered when the pilot sent a signal to Bali airport that the plane had been hijacked, and then followed up with a verbal confirmation.

"We then guided the flight to land as they were flying close to the airport," he said. No passengers were hurt during the incident, officials said.

Palani Mohan, a passenger on a Garuda flight that was preparing to take off from Bali, said that when the drama began the pilot of his plane announced the airport was in lockdown.

"The captain of my plane made an announcement saying we were delayed indefinitely because a hijack was going on in Bali airport, about 150 metres (yards) away from us." 

"I saw at least five vehicles including military-style trucks, filled with men in uniform, rushing towards the plane," he said.

"Then the Virgin plane taxied away, followed by the convoy of security forces."

The airport was shut down for about an hour but flights resumed after the Virgin plane was taken off the tarmac.  

Bakti said nine aircraft that had been approaching Bali were diverted to other Indonesian airports during the shutdown.

Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is an enormously popular tourist destination, attracting millions of foreign visitors every year to its palm-fringed beaches.

The airport has been the scene of drama before. In April last year a Lion Air plane missed the runway as it came into land, smashing into the sea and splitting in two. Dozens of the 108 people on board were injured, but there were no fatalities.

Bali has also been the scene of attacks by Muslim extremists in the past. Bombings on the resort island in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly Western tourists.