Woman to face Perth court accused of assaulting flight crew

Australian Federal Police allege a Canberra woman assaulted a cabin crew member after becoming erratic during a flight to Perth in December.

The 52-year-old woman, who was flying to Perth on December 13, is set to appear in court on Friday charged with one count of assaulting crew of an aircraft, and one count of behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner on an aircraft.

She faces a maximum fine of $16,500 for each charge.

Police allege the woman behaved erratically towards another passenger as the plane was preparing to take off.

When a crew member checked on her, she allegedly forcibly grabbed their arm and head, causing minor injuries.

The incident led airline staff to contact the AFP for assistance, and officers boarded the plane and escorted the woman off the flight when it landed at Perth Airport.

The woman allegedly became argumentative and aggressive towards the officers after she was removed from the flight.

AFP Acting Superintendent Hayley Faithfull said any aggressive or anti-social behaviour on a flight could pose a direct threat to the aircraft and inconvenience passengers.

“The AFP works closely with our airline partners to intervene if someone’s behaviour interferes with the safety of workers or the public on flights using major Australian airports,” she said.