Updated 9.25am

INDONESIA MEDIA REPORTED this morning that there was an attempted hijack on a Virgin Australia plane, which was then forced to land at an airport in Bali.

However, the airline said today that the flight had not been hijacked, and in fact the cause was a drunk passenger.

A drunk passenger on a Virgin Australia plane was arrested at Bali airport after triggering a hijack alert when he attempted to enter the cockpit, airline and Indonesian officials said Friday.

“This is no hijacking, this is a miscommunication,” said Heru Sudjatmiko, a Virgin Australia official on the Indonesian resort island.

What happened was there was a drunk person… too much alcohol consumption caused him to act aggressively.

National police spokesman Suhardi Alius said the passenger had been arrested over the incident.

According to Metro TV in Indonesia, the aeroplane is currently at country’s international airport on the island.

Additional reporting Aoife Barry

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More