A woman has been arrested for her unusual attempt to flag down a departing plane at Canberra Airport in Australia. The incident, captured on video by witnesses, occurred on Wednesday night. In the footage, the woman can be seen standing near a QantasLink aircraft, seemingly trying to get the pilot’s attention just before takeoff.
When her efforts to stop the plane proved futile, she turned and headed back towards the terminal building. Witnesses were left wondering if anyone would intervene. According to Dennis Bilic, who recorded the incident, onlookers seemed uncertain about how to react.
An woman who apparently missed her flight tried to catch it by running after the QantasLink Embraer E190AR plane (VH-XVO) on the tarmac.
The strange incident was captured at Canberra Airport (CBR) on Nov 01, 2023. On chase, woman started waving at the pilot.
📹Dennis Bilic pic.twitter.com/rKw7p1xsKN
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) November 2, 2023
Another witness, Simon Hales, described the incident as “bizarre” and noted that the woman had missed her flight but attempted to catch it regardless. Fortunately, the pilot was alerted and shut down the engine.
The woman had pushed past airport staff, run onto the tarmac, and approached the plane. She has been charged by the Australian Federal Police with entering an airside area without permission, damaging property, and possessing a small amount of cannabis.
This incident is not the first of its kind, as in 2021, a woman was detained in Los Angeles for a similar attempt to “wave down” an aircraft on the tarmac at LAX Airport.
