Federal agents in Australia arrested an airline passenger Thursday who officials said opened a commercial plane’s emergency exit door, walked along a wing, and climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac.
A passenger on Jetstar flight JQ507, which departed earlier from Sydney, exited the aircraft via the emergency exit upon arrival into Melbourne Airport, officials said.
The international airport is in the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, in the southeastern portion of the country.
Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas – Australia’s flag carrier, is a low-cost airline based in Melbourne.
Cam Beaman, a spokesperson for the airport, told USA TODAY, the aircraft was parked at the time of the incident.
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Alana Grech, a spokesperson for Jetstar, told USA TODAY the plane had landed and was parked at a gate when the passenger opened the emergency exit door automatically deploying the slide.
“The passenger exited via the emergency exit and walked along the wing before making his way down to the ground via the engine,” Grech said.
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The passenger was immediately detained by staff and arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP), Beaman said.
“Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response from ground crew, which meant there was no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff,” Beaman said.
Officials did not release the passenger’s name or say where they are from.
“We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while our team assisted the AFP to manage this incident,” Grech said.
Contributing: Eve Chen
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.