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A 63-year-old Australian man will be charged in court on 2 April 2026 for his suspected involvement in a case of disorderly conduct on board an aircraft.

On 19 March 2026 at about 6.40 am, the Police were alerted to an incident of a man allegedly behaving unruly whilst onboard a flight. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man, who was believed to be intoxicated, began shouting profanities and throwing his shoes about 20 minutes after the aircraft departed from Singapore Changi Airport. Despite attempts by cabin crew to calm him down, the man purportedly continued to behave in a disorderly manner towards a crew member and had to be placed under restraint. The pilot of the aircraft decided to return the aircraft to Changi Airport for the man to be offloaded. Upon arrival, the man was arrested by officers from the Airport Police Division.

The man will be charged with the offence of behaving in a disorderly  manner towards a crew member of an aircraft under Section 38(1)(b) of the Air Navigation Act 1966, which carries a fine of up to $100,000, an imprisonment term of up to five years, or both.

The Police treat all acts of violence, threats and disruptive behaviour onboard aircrafts seriously. Physical aggression, verbal threats and any interference with aircraft crew’s duties can compromise flight safety. The Police will not hesitate to take firm action against anyone who endangers the safety of passengers and crew onboard, and threatens the security and order of an aircraft. All air travellers are reminded to adhere to air safety regulations and conduct themselves responsibly when onboard an aircraft.