Passengers leap to help in jet drama

Bomb threat tussle raises air safety issues

TRAINING standards at Malaysia Airlines, and Australian police capabilities have come under fire after Wednesday night’s attempted hijacking of flight MH128 from Melbourne.

Passengers were the heroes of the flight, after police allege an agitated man demanded to see the pilot and threatened to blow up the plane, an Airbus A330. Plastic handcuffs and cable ties kept the man immobilised as the pilot turned the plane back to Melbourne.

Passenger Drew Ambrose said the crew was begging passengers to help out.

“They definitely did not have that aspect of the cabin under control,” he told ABC News. Passenger Rob Macdonald said instincts kicked in when he leapt out of his seat and helped tackle the man.

Mr Macdonald, who was on his way home to Scotland, said he didn’t think twice when the flight attendants yelled for help.

When asked about being branded a “hero”, Mr Macdonald shrugged off the label.

“That’s rubbish, I’m no hero,” he said. “I’d do it again.”

It was 90 minutes after landing before Australian Federal Police boarded the aircraft — to the distress of many of the 336 passengers — who were left wondering if there was a bomb, and if it would explode.

The AFP defended the delay, insisting they had to act with caution in case the man had an accomplice, or an explosive device was on board.

But aviation experts condemned the extended wait.

“If a bomb or an accomplice to the hijacker was at all suspected to be on board I would have thought that deplaning the passengers would be of high priority,” said former airline captain Byron Bailey.

Concerns also were raised about the ability of the crew to handle difficult passengers.

Air marshals travel on Australian registered aircraft, an initiative implemented following the 9/11 US hijackings.

Shine Lawyers aviation specialist Thomas Janson said the lack of security on Malaysia Airlines’ flights was a question it needed to address.

“It’s not up to business class passengers to wrestle with others,” aviation consultant Neil Hansford said.

A Malaysia Airlines spokeswoman said the cabin crew, with the help of one passenger, managed to restrain and handcuff the passenger.

“Malaysia Airlines would like to stress that at no point was the aircraft ‘hijacked’,” she said.

The incident is another blow for the struggling airline after the twin tragedies of MH370 and MH17 in 2014.

WHAT WITNESSES HEARD: “I want to go in and see the pilot,” man said. “Sit back down sir, sit back down sir,” cabin crew member replied. “No, I’m not going to sit back down — I’m going to blow the plane up,” man said. Cabin crew member then screams: “I need some help, I need some help.”