Passenger fined $11,780 after misbehavior led to flight being diverted and cancelled

• An unruly passenger has been ordered to pay $11,780 after causing a flight to be cancelled.

• The Jetstar flight turned back and passengers had to spend the night in hotels.

• Nearly half of the bill went to fuel costs, as the plane had to dump fuel before landing.

An unruly passenger has been ordered to pay A$17,630 ($11,780) including fuel costs after causing a flight to be cancelled.

In the announcement on Monday, the Australian Federal Police said the man was flying from Perth to Sydney last September.

Australian media outlet 7News identified Wade Corbett, 33 at the time, as the man accused of being drunk and disruptive on the Jetstar flight.

Airline staff had called for help from law enforcement after his unruly behavior, AFP reported.

The pilots turned back to Perth and had to dump fuel before landing.

Corbett was ordered to pay the airline $8,630 Australian dollars (about $5,800 US) for fuel costs for the flight. He was also fined an additional $9,000 Australian dollars (about $6,000 US).

After the plane returned to Perth, the flight was cancelled. According to 7News, the crew had reached their maximum working hours, so the airline had to arrange overnight accommodation for the passengers.

Corbett pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct on board an aircraft and one count of failure to comply with safety instructions.

“This incident should serve as a warning that criminal behaviour on board can be costly for the offender,” said AFP Acting Superintendent Shona Davis.

“It is much easier to obey the instructions of the airline staff than to cause unnecessary problems, which can end up costing you dearly,” she added.

Corbett’s bill was not as high as the fine imposed on an 18-year-old British passenger earlier this year.

Aditya Verma has been accused of joking about an easyJet flight blowing up, prompting fighter jets to swoop in to escort the airliner.

Spanish authorities tried to serve him with a bill for $120,000, but he was found not guilty of disturbing the peace.

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