Drunk passenger sparks flight scare

The pilot of a Virgin Australia plane flying from Brisbane to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali reports a hijacking attempt, after a passenger tries to enter the cockpit. Sarah Toms reports.

Allegedly tried to enter cockpit ... Australian Matt Lockley, 28, is escorted by Indonesian Air Force officers at Ngurah rai Airport in Bali.

AN allegedly drunk passenger on board a Brisbane to Bali flight sparked a major drama, causing Denpasar airport to close and go on high alert when it was initially reported he was a hijacker.

Matt Christopher Lockley was arrested by military police and taken in for questioning after the

Virgin Australia flight landed safely at Ngurah Rai airport.

Handcuffed and being led away from plane at gunpoint ... Matt Lockley is taken from the Virgin Australia flight at Denpasar. Source: Supplied

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The mid-air drama began when the plane's crew pressed an emergency button which sent an automatic signal to air traffic controllers in Denpasar and Makassar.

It was about 30 minutes before the plane's scheduled landing time and the plane was 180 nautical miles from Denpasar.

Authorities in Bali believed the plane had been hijacked and rushed to put in place emergency procedures.

Attempted to enter cockpit ... Matt Lockley, 28 was arrested and is taken to police at the airport in Denpasar, Bali. Source: News Corp Australia

The 27-year-old Lockley was last night being held in custody and interrogated by police. Authorities were still contemplating whether he would be criminally charged and with what offence. They have not ruled out charging him with hijack or causing fear in the community.

Two psychiatrists were brought in to examine him. Urine and blood samples were taken for analysis of alcohol or drugs.

Co-manager at Bali airport, I Gusti Ngurah Ardita said that Lockley's condition looked "unstable".

He said that during interrogation Lockley told police that he banged on the cockpit door because he needed medication which was in his baggage. The pilot had pressed the emergency button. Medication was in Lockley's possession and authorities were still checkingwhat it was for.

As Lockley was moved from one office to another by officials he made no comment. Photographs of his arrest show him being led from the Virgin Australia plane by heavily armed military police.

He was initially taken in for questioning by the military which has jurisdiction at the airport but was later handed over to Bali police who said they would interview him along with the plane's cabin crew.

Heavily guarded ... Matt Lockley is taken into the airport after being arrested on arrival at Ngurah Rai airport. Source: AFP

Police revealed Lockley is the holder of a Queensland driver's licence and had a licence to perform high risk work and a plumbing industry council card, which were displayed during a press briefing.

Under Indonesian aviation law a person who commits an act to endanger flight safety and security faces two years in jail or one year for those who disturb a flight.

Lockley was later taken to Bali police headquarters in Denpasar where he was being further questioned.

Bali Police Chief, Inspector Benny Mokalu, said no-one had been injured in the incident.

All passengers had left the plane and gone to the hotels and holidays.

He said that after banging on the cockpit door, Lockley had been taken to the cabin crew area and was sitting there when heavily-armed police entered the plane at Ngurah Rai airport.

Insp Mokalu said that cabin crew had told police that Lockley appeared to be "paranoid" but it wasn't clear why.

Refused to comment ... Matt Lockley is seen at a holding room in Bali, Indonesia, Friday, after allegedly trying to attempt to break into the pilots' cockpit. Source: AP

Col Sugiharto Prapto Waluyo, the commander of base operations at Ngurah Rai, said information was first received about 2pm local time when it was reported that the plane had been hijacked.

Treating the information seriously, Bali police, military and airport officials immediate went into hijack mode. The airport was closed and personnel were deployed to handle a hijack drama.

"We received information about a hijacking at 2pm local time from the airport general manager and air traffic control Makassar. We then conduct the procedure, as the initial information is a hijack.

"We didn't know if there was something dangerous in the plane or not. Is there a bomb or what. When the plane landed we steered the plane to park in two seven runway because we can't communicate with the pilot," Col Waluyo said.

In dramatic scenes, police had positioned a vehicle in front of the plane after it stopped and armed officers raced to the scene.

"We implemented the hijack arrest procedure as we didn't know if it's a hijacker or not. Our team then caught him, handcuffed him and brought him from the plane.

Escorted into questioning ... Matt Lockley is handcuffed and pushed by Indonesian Air Force soldiers into Ngurah Rai airport in Denpasar. Source: AFP

The Virgin Australia flight 41 from Brisbane to Bali had 139 passengers on board including 137 adults, two children and six crew members

As the drama unfolded, air traffic control in Bali diverted seven incoming flights to Surabaya, in East Java, one to Lombok and five flights were delayed and stopped from taking off.

Initial reports from Indonesian military and media that suggested the plane had been hijacked was quickly dismissed when it became apparent the would-be cockpit impostor was reportedly a drunken or drug-affected Australian passenger.

Lockley was alleged to have been banging on the cockpit door of the plane, causing the pilots to become worried about a hijack. This was later dismissed.

Virgin's Bali manager Heru Sudjatmiko said it was a "miscommunication".

"I repeat, this is just a miscommunication. How the miscommunication occurred, I cannot answer because I wasn't there. But it's not true to say that the plane was hijacked," Mr Sudjatmiko told Idonesia's Metro TV station.

"I don't know exactly what happened when the pilot communicated with the air traffic controller at Ngurah Rai," he said.

The Denpasar City Police chief Adj. Commissioner DjokoHariutomo told Kompas media that a drunk passenger tried to enter the cockpit of the Boeing B737-300 plane.

"We deployed a lot of personnel because we are informed that an aircraft was hijacked," Djoko said.

Arrested and handcuffed and taken from commercial flight ... Police hold licenses of Matt Lockley who allegedly attempted to enter the cockpit of a Virgin Australia flight.; Source: Supplied

Palani Mohan, a passenger on a Garuda flight that was about to take off from Bali, said they were told an alleged hijacking had taken place at first, which would delay their flight.

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

"Then the Virgin plane taxied away, followed by the convoy of security forces. The flight attendant said it's been taken off to a different part of the airport.

"Bali airport seems to be in lockdown, we've been told no planes will be departing or arriving. The pilot's not allowing anyone off our plane."

A Virgin Australia spokesman said one other flight was affected en route from Sydney to Denpasar, and was diverted to Darwin Airport.

It was a decision made by the Indonesian authorities to shut Denpasar Airport, leaving multiple flights in the lurch.

"It depends on crew hours, but it is most likely that the plane will be refuelled tonight and then continue on to its destination," the spokesman said.

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