Avalon Airport security holes exposed by alleged hijacker

A teenager allegedly slipping through a security fence and threatening to blow up a plane has exposed gaps in security at Melbourne’s second airport.

In the wake of an apparent attempted hijacking, it has been revealed Melbourne’s Avalon Airport has no stationed federal or state police.

While there are no Australian Federal Police at Avalon – Melbourne’s second commercial airport – there are federal police at the Cairns and Townsville airports, plus all the main seven airports in the capital cities, except Hobart.

The state police who formally arrested an allegedly armed teen hijacker at Avalon on Thursday were stationed 9km away, arriving after passengers tackled the boy to the ground.

There are no police at Avalon Airport outside Melbourne. Picture: Google

The police officers had to rush from the town of Lara to the airport after the 17-year-old allegedly declared “I’ve got bombs in my bag”. Police say the teenager had a fake homemade explosive and a stolen genuine shotgun on him when he tried to get on-board the Melbourne to Sydney Jetstar flight.

“Victoria Police does not have a permanent presence at Avalon Airport; however, the precinct is patrolled regularly by local police as part of the Lara response zone,” a state police spokesperson told NewsWire.

“The first police on scene at yesterday’s incident were local police based at Lara.”

The Transport Workers’ Union says the incident raises serious safety questions.

The alleged incident happened on a Jetstar flight on Thursday. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

“Passenger behaviour is becoming more radical, more aggressive and it’s becoming more dangerous to be contained in a metal tube with them,” an anonymous aviation worker said via the union.

“I’ve had to call AFP on a number of occasions to meet the aircraft due to aggressive passenger behaviour that threatened the safety of the passengers.”

Union national secretary Michael Kaine said cost cutting left workers feeling unsafe.

“There are serious questions to be answered here about how this potentially catastrophic event occurred,” he said.

“The aviation community is of course shaken by yesterday’s events. These workers deserve to be safe at work, just as travellers deserve to get safely to their destinations.

“Airline and airport executives have turned this industry into one geared towards short-term profits. We need to see all players working together towards a safer and better aviation industry instead of relentlessly cutting costs, which has seen safety plummet at our airports.”

The 17-year-old arrested at the airport on Thursday appeared in court on Friday.

The airport sits among farmland. Picture: Google

According to charge sheets, it’s alleged the teen was armed with a stolen shotgun and a fake homemade explosive when he boarded the plane.

He allegedly stated “I’ve got bombs in my bag”, which police claim could reasonably be inferred as an intention to damage the plane or harm the persons aboard.

It’s alleged he stole two 12-gauge shotguns from a property in western Victoria earlier the same day.

He faces 12 charges, including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, making a threat to the safety of an aircraft, possessing a fake explosive device and processing a firearm without a licence.

In a statement, police allege the teenager entered the airport through a hole in a security fence.

Avalon is Melbourne’s second airport, mostly used for domestic Jetstar flights. The airport is 50km outside the city towards Geelong and typically 20 or less flights arrive and depart each day.

While AFP officers are stationed at Cairns and Townsville airports, there are no officers at Avalon.

On Friday morning, Avalon Airport boss Ari Suss said: “As part of our ongoing commitment to security, we have implemented further measures across the airport, including within the terminal and surrounding areas.”

The Australian Federal Police Association has called for increased security at all airports.

“To have someone allegedly walk through a hole in a fence and board a plane armed with a firearm and knives should not happen,” union president Alex Caruna said.

“It’s a significant lapse in security that this incident occurred, and it’s also a lapse in national security by the federal government.”

The AFP has been approached for comment.

The 17-year-old did not apply for bail in the Children’s Court and will appear again at a later date.

Originally published as Avalon Airport security holes exposed by alleged hijacker