Scoot flight from Gold Coast to Singapore forced to land in Sydney due to passenger disruption

A pilot turned his Singapore-bound plane back to Australia after a passenger brawled with fellow travellers | WATCH

Passengers who boarded a Scoot flight on the Gold Coast to fly to Singapore, ended up in Sydney after a passenger had a violent outburst and sparked a series of brawls with other passengers.

Dramatic video has emerged of a passenger on a flight to Singapore fighting after take-off. Picture: Rico David Garilli/Facebook

A Scoot spokeswoman confirmed the 787-9 was one hour and 20 minutes into the 8-hour flight and more than 30,000 feet high when the captain had to turn back to offload the disruptive passenger.

Radar image showing the Scoot flight's path.

It is understood the man began harassing passengers seated next to him after the plane had taken off.

The flight crew were told to relocate nearby passengers and stopped serving the man alcohol.

Video footage shows him punching multiple people including a child and restraining a man in a headlock.

“This bloke was going nuts trying to bite us, spitting on us and absolutely going berserk,” one passenger who helped restrain the man said.

The passenger was pinned down in the aisle for the rest of the journey by other passengers who cable-tied the man’s hands and feet together. He was then given an oxygen mask by flight staff in an attempt to calm him down.

The man is restrained by fellow passengers. Picture: Rico David Garilli/Facebook

When the plane landed in Sydney, Australian Federal Police officers and paramedics became involved.

This afternoon, the AFP released a statement: “No charges will be laid in relation to this matter. The AFP considers this matter finalised.”

A Scoot flight from Gold Coast to Singapore was diverted to Sydney after an unruly passenger sparked a full-on brawl with fellow flyers at 30,000ft! 😳 pic.twitter.com/vpJ5pAVRie

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) January 21, 2019

Passenger Ricco Garilli was travelling to Singapore for his wedding and filmed the ordeal. He told Seven’s Sunrise he had been sitting next to the man at the bar when the flight was delayed.

“By the time we got on the flight...staff couldn’t really control him,” he said. “We probably shouldn’t have taken off in the first place.”

“He was just provoking people for no reason.”

Mr Garilli said all the cabin crew could do was provide cable ties to passengers who restrained the man for three hours as the flight headed for Sydney.

The spokeswoman said the safety of passengers and crew was Scoot’s highest priority.

To ensure affected customers could resume their trip without being unduly delayed, Scoot arranged for them to be accommodated on either a Scoot flight leaving Sydney at 7.15pm, or one of two Singapore Airlines flights, she said.