A Qantas flight from Melbourne to Dallas was forced to divert to Tahiti after a passenger allegedly became disruptive and bit a flight attendant mid-air.
The incident occurred on QF21 during the long-haul service on the weekend, prompting crew and passengers to assist the affected staff member. This masthead understands no serious injuries were sustained.
The aircraft made a precautionary diversion to Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, where the passenger was removed from the plane, met by local authorities, and subsequently issued a Qantas no-fly ban.
After the disruption was resolved and the aircraft refuelled, the flight continued on to Dallas, landing several hours behind schedule on Saturday morning (AEST).
A Qantas spokesperson said the airline does not tolerate disruptive behaviour onboard.
“The safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority and we have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights,” they said.
The passenger involved in the Melbourne-to-Dallas incident is understood not to be Australian.
