'This is not TV, or the movies': Commissioner defends police response to airport stand-off
The New South Wales police chief has today defended authorities' response to the alleged bomb threat incident that forced an aircraft to return to Sydney.
Commissioner Karen Webb told Ben Fordham on 2GB: "We don't storm planes ... this is not TV, or the movies" as she stressed the priority was the safety of all passengers and crew.
Malaysian Airlines flight MH122 to Kuala Lumpur left Sydney Airport at 1.40pm yesterday carrying 199 passengers and 12 crew and landed safely back on the runway at 3.47pm, where it was stuck for for hours with emergency vehicles nearby.
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During the flight, a male passenger allegedly became disruptive and claimed to have explosives on board.
Webb said she understood the experience of the plane's passengers would have been "terrifying", but said the incident was resolved in three hours.
"The delay was not too long ... it was a volatile, unpredictable situation.
"It was important to defuse, not escalate the situation."
A 45-year-old man has been charged after the hours-long stand-off ended in an arrest overnight.
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NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has defended authorities' response to the incident at Sydney Airport. (Photo: Rhett Wyman / SMH Nine
A man who had allegedly been disruptive on board was arrested and passengers finally disembarked at about 6.30pm.
Webb said NSW Police mobilised all their resources and made them available, including the bomb unit and sniper teams in response to the incident.
She also praised the crew of the plane for keeping calm all the passengers, including the man charged over the incident.
Police had direct communications with the pilot during the stand-off.
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An airline passenger has been charged today after a flight from Sydney to Malaysia was turned around over NSW due to a "disruptive passenger onboard". Supplied
The AFP said a 45-year-old Canberra resident has been charged with one count of making a false statement about threatening to damage a division three aircraft, and one count of a passenger not complying with cabin crew's safety instructions.
He is expected to appear in court in Sydney today.
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