By Riley Walter
A Thai man has been handed an 18-month community correction order after punching a passenger on an international flight when a bag fell on him from an overhead luggage compartment.
Australian Federal Police officers arrested Taninrut Saklor, 25, at Sydney Airport while he was disembarking from the Wellington to Sydney flight on Wednesday.
Saklor struck the male passenger next to him in the face after the bag landed on Saklor’s head while being unloaded from the overhead compartment.
He pleaded guilty in Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. His community correction order will expire on May 6, 2025.
Federal Police acting Superintendent Damien Full said police had “zero tolerance for violent or abusive behaviour”.
“Aggressive action in an enclosed space can be extremely frightening for everyone,” Full said.
“The AFP works closely with the airline industry to intervene if anyone’s behaviour impacts the wellbeing of other passengers.”
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