Flight attendants restrain wine-swilling passenger on plane’s descent into Sydney

A woman who allegedly refused to stop drinking her own wine on an international flight to Sydney was physically restrained by flight attendants when she refused to sit down during the plane’s descent.

Police allege a 64-year old dual Italian-Australian national drank a bottle of her own wine on a flight from Noumea last Tuesday.

The woman allegedly became abusive when airline crew told her that she could not drink her own alcohol.

When the aircraft started its descent, the woman allegedly refused to sit down, kicked a crew member in the stomach and became disruptive when flight attendants tried to physically restrain her to a seat.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers were called to remove the woman from the aircraft when it arrived at Sydney Airport.

An AFP spokesman said paramedics conducted a health check and took her to a hospital in Randwick where she was discharged the next day.

Police charged the woman with assaulting a flight attendant, disorderly conduct on an aircraft, failing to comply with safety instructions and consuming alcohol not provided by aircraft crew.

AFP Acting Superintendent Dom Stephenson said police had zero tolerance for disruptive or anti-social behaviour on-board aircraft or in airports.

“All passengers and airline staff have the right to feel safe and should not have to witness intoxication, violence or bad behaviour, particularly when they’re in a confined space in the air,” he said.

“People who engage in anti-social behaviour should understand this not only impacts their own travel plans but also that of hundreds of other people if they cause a flight to be delayed or cancelled.

“People who break the law will be dealt with swiftly and will be brought before the courts.”

The woman is expected to appear in the Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.