An elderly woman who allegedly bit the arm of a flight attendant during an argument on a flight is among dozens of Australians who were hit with criminal charges at major airports over the summer period.
A total of 49 travellers were hit with 69 offences including alleged assault, drug possession and weapon offences over the school holidays.
Among the most dramatic alleged offences was a 78-year-old woman who is accused of striking another passenger in the face during an argument on board the aircraft.
She then allegedly bit the arm of a flight attendant who had intervened in the dispute.
The incident allegedly unfolded on board a flight from New Zealand to the Gold Coast on January 29.
The woman is scheduled to appear in court on April 3.
Another incident involved a 41-year-old Australian man who allegedly consumed 700mls of duty-free scotch on an international flight from New Zealand to Sydney on January 9.
The man lost consciousness and allegedly became verbally abusive towards airline staff upon landing. AFP officers organised for the man to be taken to hospital for medical care.
The operation – codenamed Operation Sleigh – aimed to crack down on offensive, disruptive and illegal behaviour in the air and on the ground.
Another 24 people were handed infringement notices for intoxication, offensive and disorderly behaviour, creating a disturbance and failing to comply with directions from airline staff over the same period.
AFP Commander Geoff Turner said an increase in bad passenger behaviour had been identified compared to the same holiday period last year.
The AFP charged 28 people with 49 offences during the same period of the 2021-22 summer school holidays.
Another 16 people were issued with infringement notices for a range of incidents including intoxication, smoking in aircraft and traffic offences around the airport.
“In recent months we have seen thousands more passengers travelling through airports across Australia, as state and international borders reopened after the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions,” Commander Turner said.
“The AFP was more than prepared to manage the expected spike in passenger numbers, with increased patrols resulting in teams responding to a range of incidents to assist the travelling public across the country.”
Offenders who cause chaos on flights can face up to 20 years’ imprisonment, according to the AFP.