A Perth man flying home from Chile is stuck in New Zealand after getting so drunk he became aggressive towards cabin crew and passengers on a Qantas flight to Melbourne and was arrested.
It is understood the 31-year-old man was aboard a flight from Chile when his plane landed at Auckland Airport for a stop-over on Wednesday.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the passenger went to the Qantas lounge and consumed "a large quantity of vodka".
The man was arrested soon after he boarded the flight to Melbourne.
A Qantas spokeswoman confirmed that a "passenger on a Qantas service from Auckland to Melbourne was taken into custody by New Zealand police for aggressive behaviour towards cabin crew and passengers".
"The flight was consequently delayed almost an hour, however, it continued its journey to Melbourne once the passenger was offloaded," she said in a statement.
"Qantas has a zero tolerance approach for anti-social behaviour, and for any actions that could potentially compromise the safety of anyone on a Qantas aircraft."
An Auckland Airport spokesman confirmed that a "passenger was offloaded from a flight on Wednesday", but referred all other questions to Qantas.
The man - whose name has been suppressed, because he has not yet told his family - appeared in Manukau District Court on Thursday afternoon, charged with indecent assault and threatening to kill.
He said he could not remember the incident, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The man's lawyer, Annabel Maxwell-Scott, said her client was "slightly discombobulated", and suffering "probably the worst hangover of his life".
The man was released on bail, but forced to surrender his passport. He was also ordered to report to Auckland Central police station twice before his next court appearance on Tuesday, the newspaper wrote.
