Man seriously hurt in fall from aircraft stairway at Hobart Airport

Jetstar says it is investing in extra lighting, better signs and more grip on its stairs after a man was seriously injured in a fall while getting off a flight at Hobart Airport this week.

Passengers disembark from a Jetstar flight at Hobart Airport.

JETSTAR says it is investing in extra lighting, better signs and more grip on its stairs after a man was seriously injured in a fall while getting off a flight at Hobart Airport this week.

The man was disembarking flight JQ681 from Adelaide at 11pm on Tuesday.

A Jetstar spokesman confirmed the incident.

“Our staff provided immediate assistance and called for medical support,” he said.

“We reached out to the customer's family this morning to check on their wellbeing, and learn more about what happened.

“Keeping safe on stairs is a key priority for us and we’re investing in making our stairs as safe as possible for boarding and disembarkation with additional signage in different languages, improved lighting and extra stair nosing grip.

“On every flight, our staff remind customers to hold on to the handrails when boarding and disembarking our aircraft.”

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Adelaide journalist Katie Spain said the man fell from around halfway down the stairs and landed face-first on the concrete. She said the stairs were poorly lit and “bloody dangerous”.

“A man was slowly walking down the stairs when he fell from halfway up and ploughed face first into the tarmac and lay there motionless,” Ms Spain said. “The poor man was in a pool of blood and still not moving when we left him in the care of staff — rain was starting to fall.

“I hope he regains consciousness and recovers from what must be a horrific head injury.”

Ms Spain said the airline needed to find a safer way of getting passengers off aircraft in Hobart.

“It is unbelievable that a plane can land that late at night and not have adequate lighting by which to exit safely,” she said. “It needs to be looked at and, until they do, for the love of God, hold that rail tight and take extra care people.”

A spokesman for the Health Department said ambulance officers attended the scene and took a patient to the Royal Hobart Hospital where he remained in a stable condition.

A spokesman for the airport said they were aware of the incident and directed inquiries to Jetstar.

Jetstar generally uses newer-style ramps, but that equipment wasn’t available on Tuesday, the spokesman said.