Police charge Bali ‘hijack’ passenger
An Australian plumber who caused a hijack alert on a plane heading for Bali when he banged on the cockpit door has been charged over the midair incident.
Matt Lockley, who has said he mistook the cockpit of the Virgin Australia jet for the toilet, was released by Indonesian authorities on Sunday without charge and arrived back in Australia early Tuesday where he was met by police.
A federal police statement said the 27-year-old had been served notice to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 6 “in relation to an incident on a flight between Brisbane and Bali on Friday April 25”.
He faces one charge of interfering with a crew member.
Security forces in Bali rushed to the airport as the Boeing 737-800 touched down, after the pilot reported a hijack attempt when someone started banging loudly on the cockpit door.
Lockley was dragged off the plane by the heavily armed security forces and the airport was briefly shut down, causing several planes to be diverted to other Indonesian airports.
Virgin Australia defended the pilot’s action in activating a hijack alarm, saying the pilot’s response to the incident was in line with international air safety regulations.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025