Jetstar crew pounce on woman after she risks the lives of 200 people with terrifying act on board flight back from Bali

A terrifying incident has unfolded on a packed Jetstar plane overnight after a passenger attempted to open the cabin door mid-flight.

Flight JQ-34 from Bali’s Denpasar to Melbourne – which left about 8.40pm local time with more than 200 passengers on board – was flying at an altitude of 33,000feet and a speed of 500knots when the woman pulled down the door release lever. 

That set off an alarm which alerted the flight crew and they swiftly stopped the woman before she managed to fully open the door. 

The incident occurred about two hours into the flight and plane was then turned around and landed back at Denpasar airport. 

The passenger was removed from the aircraft and taken into custody by local authorities in Bali.

Jetstar confirmed the incident and said the woman had also been hostile towards crew members. 

‘We had an aircraft return to Denpasar last night after a disruptive passenger attempted to open one of the aircraft doors and was abusive to our crew,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

‘The safety and welfare of our customers and crew is our top priority and we thank them for the way they responded to the situation.

‘This sort of unacceptable behaviour will never be tolerated on our flights.’

Jetstar said the flight was turned around and landed back at Denpasar where the woman was taken into custody by police

Shaken passengers took to social media after the mid-air catastrophe was narrowly avoided thanks to the swift actions of flight crew

The flight was cancelled and Jetstar said it would provide customers with an alternative flight.

The woman had been seated towards the back of the aircraft.

Once the situation was under control, the flight crew made an announcement to all passengers about what had happened and why the flight had turned around. 

Dr David Birch, a Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at Surrey University, previously told the BBC the doors on aircraft are sealed in place by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cabin.

More to follow.