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Jetstar passenger arrested after plane door opened at Melbourne Airport

Federal agents in Australia arrested a passenger on Thursday who authorities said opened the emergency exit door of a commercial aircraft, walked along a wing and climbed down a jet engine onto the tarmac.

A passenger on Jetstar flight JQ507, which had previously departed from Sydney, exited the plane through the emergency exit upon arrival at Melbourne Airport, officials said.

The international airport is located in the capital of the Australian state of Victoria in the southeast of the country.

Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, the national airline of Australia, is a low-cost airline based in Melbourne.

Cam Beaman, an airport spokesman, told USA TODAY the plane was parked at the time of the incident.

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Alana Grech, a spokeswoman for Jetstar, told USA TODAY the plane had landed and was parked at a gate when the passenger opened the emergency exit door, which automatically deployed the slide.

“The passenger exited the aircraft through the emergency exit and walked along the wing before descending to the ground over the engine,” Grech said.

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The passenger was immediately detained by staff and arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Beaman said.

“Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response of ground staff, which resulted in no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff,” Beaman said.

Officials did not release the passenger's name or say where he was from.

“We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding while our team assisted the AFP in dealing with this incident,” Grech said.

Contributors: Eve Chen

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X at @nataliealund.

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