by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Fri May 18, 2018
A plane preparing to take off from Melbourne Airport in Australia was stopped when a man who missed his flight stormed the tarmac Thursday and attempted to break into the aircraft.
According to 9News.com.au, Jetstar Airways flight 508 was preparing to leave the parking bay at around 9:30 a.m. local time Thursday morning when the 57-year-old suspect was told by employees that he was late for his scheduled flight to Adelaide.
The man rushed past Jetstar customer service workers in the terminal and made it to the tarmac of the Melbourne Airport, where he climbed a portable set of stairs and began pulling on the closed plane door.
Passengers inside the plane were terrified by the ordeal, as the man pulled on the door until he finally started kicking it in attempt to jar it open. Reports claim flight 508 was destined for Sydney, so the man was attacking the wrong aircraft.
Members of the airport's ground crew intervened and restrained the man on the stairs until the Australian Federal Police arrived and placed him under arrest. Authorities said he was charged with one count of unlawful assault on an airline employee but could face additional charges following an investigation.
"We praise our crew for safely handling this incident and restraining the passenger until police arrived," a Jetstar spokesperson told 9News. "This behavior is unacceptable and we have placed an immediate ban on this passenger traveling on all Jetstar and Qantas flights."
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