Twist after woman tried to open Jetstar door

There’s been a surprise development after a woman tried to open a plane door on a Jetstar flight from Bali to Melbourne.

A passenger who tried to open a Jetstar plane door on a flight from Bali to Melbourne has reportedly returned to Australia after she was released by local authorities in Indonesia.

The incident took place on Monday where the woman tugged at the door handle in an attempt to open it about two hours into the journey.

Crew immediately intervened with the help of an off-duty policeman, after they were alerted by an alarm.

The plane carrying more than 200 passengers was forced to return to Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport where the woman was removed from the aircraft by local authorities.

According to the Daily Mail Australia, the woman was initially taken into custody by local authorities in Bali and was apparently released soon afterwards.

A woman tried to open a plane door on a Jetstar flight. Picture: Ellis Tonkin

Cabin crew and an off-duty officer stopped the woman. Picture: Ellis Tonkin

Passengers spent a night at a hotel before heading to Melbourne on the next available flight.

News.com.au understands the incident that occurred on flight JQ34 remains under investigation.

Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, head of public relations at communications at Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport, said they had been working closely with Jetstar.

“For us, the most important thing is safety, security and services,” Mr Amadi told Daily Mail Australia.

The plane was heading to Melbourne but had to return to Bali following the incident. Picture: Flightradar24

“The airline (Jetstar) has co-ordinated with us properly. We always commit to manage the safety and security of passengers.”

News.com.au understands that if a Jetstar passenger is denied entry into a country, the airline is legally obligated to transport them back to their origin, which can have strict conditions applied such as escorts and medical clearance.

Jetstar also confirmed it would not provide hotel accommodation in these instances.

The Australian Federal Police has been contacted for comment.

“We had an aircraft return to Denpasar last night after a disruptive passenger attempted to open one of the aircraft doors and was abusive to our crew,” a Jetstar spokesperson told news.com.au on April 1, a day after the incident.

Passengers spent a night in a hotel after returning to the airport. Picture: iStock

“The safety and welfare of our customers and crew is our top priority and we thank them for the way they responded to the situation.

“This sort of unacceptable behaviour will never be tolerated on our flights.”

The woman allegedly wanted to sit in a different row and have a chair that could recline.

Aussie reality star Brooke Jowett was on the flight and said the woman then decided to try to open the doors.

Aussie reality star Brooke Jowett who was on the flight described the incident as ‘very scary’. Picture: Instagram/brookejowett

She said the woman wanted to sit in a different row before allegedly attempting to open the plane door. Picture: Instagram/brookejowett

“[It] apparently triggered something to do with the emergency slide and yeah, it was a big bloody big panic, it was very, very scary but we’re fine, the Survivor All Star alum said in a Instagram Story following the ordeal.

Brooke said the woman was arguing with Jetstar staff about her seat and the situation escalated.

“She was unhappy and wanted to get off. One of the guys who was sitting in front of us was down near the toilets and he pulled her away from the door as she was trying to open it.

“He was an off-duty police officer apparently, so he saved the day. Thank God for that.

“But yeah, don’t know what would have happened otherwise. I know there’s a few security measures, but it wasn’t fun.”

Professor Doug Drury, head of aviation at Central Queensland University, previously told news.com.au the exit door on a plane could not be above an altitude of 10,000 feet as the cabin was pressurised to 8000 feet – making the door impossible to open.

The difference between the internal cabin pressure and the outside air pressure effectively seals the doors, particularly on modern planes such as the Airbus A330.