MANILA, Philippines—For his allegedly unruly behavior on board a Qantas Airlines flight to Manila, an Australian man was shipped back to Sydney on the same plane after it arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Thursday evening.
Mamudu Kamara, 33, was detained by Australian Federal Police (AFP) air marshals who were on board Qantas flight QF-019 after he reportedly tried to enter the cockpit about two and a half hours into the eight-hour flight.
An AFP agent detailed at the Australian Embassy in Manila notified the Naia-based Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-ASG) about the incident.
On the plane’s arrival at Naia Terminal 1 at around 7 p.m., the handcuffed Kamara was escorted off the plane by the four air marshals who had arrested him.
The Australian underwent documentation at the Naia immigration office and a medical checkup at the PNP-ASG clinic. He was sent back to Sydney on the Qantas flight’s return trip about an hour later.
Chief Insp. Felindo Navarro of the ASG, who responded to the Australian embassy’s advisory, said Kamara became abusive to cabin crew members after finding out that the video screen in front of his seat wasn’t working. When the crew could not fix the monitor, Kamara became angry, rushed toward the cockpit and tried to open the door, apparently to personally complain to the captain.
Kamara was restrained by the air marshals with help from the crew. The captain then made the decision to continue the flight to Manila.
Since the alleged offense was committed on board an Australian plane, Australian law applied and Kamara would be charged in Australia, ASG officials said.
AFP national manager for aviation, Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly, said in a statement posted on the agency’s website that abusive behavior posed a danger to passengers and crew alike.
“Distracting the pilots of a commercial aircraft carrying approximately 400 passengers and flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters is a very real threat to the safe operation of that aircraft. If the cockpit had been breached, the consequences could have been disastrous,” he said.