'Hyper-Aggressive' Passenger Forces Qantas Plane To Turn Back After Erratic Behavior Mid-Air

A "hyper-aggressive" passenger on board a Qantas flight from Perth, Australia, to London forced the plane to turn back two hours after take-off Saturday. Co-passengers were angry at the man's behavior that led to the 17-hour non-stop flight's delay.

The man, who was removed from the plane by Australian Federal Police after its return to Perth, was described by a fellow passenger's behavior as "a cornered animal."

One passenger told Perth Now the man started behaving erratically after he returned to his seat from the toilet. He appeared “incredibly agitated” and "he was suddenly standing up and shouting and pointing in an extremely aggressive manner."

Claire Hudson, who was also on the plane, told ABC he “locked himself in the loo for about an hour” before “squaring off against another passenger and sort of shouting in his face.”

"It looked like it was going to turn into a brawl. Eventually, they managed to calm him down and get him back in his seat. He seemed really wired and agitated," Hudson said. "One of the cabin crew, one of the ladies, I think was a bit upset."

Responding to the incident, a Qantas spokesman told local media: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behavior on board. The safety of our crew and customers is our number one priority.”

The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the incident.

Another passenger Christine Kohli said cabin crew asked passengers for help to try to calm the man.

"They did ask for some assistance from some male passengers, and some passengers went and helped him. I understand he was restrained down the back of the plane," Kohli said. "I think it was scary for quite a few people, one of the passengers I was with became quite agitated and quite upset, but I think the aircrew were marvelous, they were very in control of the situation, they were calming passengers."

The passengers were given overnight accommodation after the plane landed in Perth and were flown to their destination on Sunday.