World
VIDEO: Woman chases plane on tarmac after missing flight
By CM Chaney · November 3, 2023
In brief…
- Woman runs onto airport tarmac trying to stop plane from leaving without her
- She waves arms and yells at pilot to get attention, delaying all flights
- Video of brazen incident causing outrage, woman apprehended by police
- Similar case in July when passenger demanded plane turn around for forgotten bag
A video of a woman running onto an airport tarmac to flag down a departing plane is causing shockwaves online.
The audacious scene unfolded Wednesday at the Canberra Airport in Australia after the unnamed passenger missed her flight and tried to prevent it from leaving without her.
“A lady who had missed her flight clearly thought she could still catch it,” eyewitness Simon Hales wrote in a Facebook post describing the absurd incident.
According to Hales, the woman had sprinted past security “down onto the tarmac” in a desperate attempt to stop a QantasLink flight bound for Adelaide.
Incredible footage shows the brazen passenger on the runway waving her arms and yelling at the pilot to get his attention as if hailing a taxi.
“She’s trying to yell at the pilot, she’s trying to get his attention and jump up, it was bizarre,” Hales recalled.
Fellow witness Dennis Bilic, who filmed the woman’s audacious tarmac dash, said bystanders were stunned. “People were a bit flat-footed, they didn’t seem to know what to do,” he said. “(We were thinking) ‘Is anyone gonna stop her?’”
Thankfully, the pilot shut off the engines and the woman was apprehended by Australian Federal Police before she could interfere with the aircraft. However, her foolish actions caused all flights to be delayed by 10 minutes before normal operations resumed.
In July, another brazen passenger demanded a plane en route to Bangkok turn around after he forgot his bag at a previous airport. While such inconsiderate antics may seem unbelievable, passengers continue to astonish with bizarre behavior that inconveniences others.