In a new tactic aimed at cracking down on disruptive airline passengers, a 33-year-old Australian man has been fined C$5,500 to pay for fuel dumped from the plane when his unruly behaviour forced its return to Perth. That’s on top of an C$8K fine imposed by the Perth Magistrates Court.

Australian Federal Police announced the penalties, as well as the man’s guilty plea last week. The incident dates to September 2023, police said. The man was charged with disorderly behaviour on an aircraft and failure to comply with safety instructions.

1. His unruly behavior forced a plane to divert. Now he has to pay for fuel.
2. 
   Aussie man ordered to pay for wasted fuel after his behaviour caused plane to turn back

Police did not identify the man or the airline, but Australian news outlets have reported the incident occurred on a Jetstar flight, a low-cost carrier that is a subsidiary of Qantas. Allegedly, he was drunk and disruptive.

“The safety of our crew and customers is our first priority and we do not tolerate any disruptive or abusive behaviour on our aircraft,” a Jetstar spokesperson told Australia’s 9News. “We apologize to customers who were impacted by this disruption and thank them for their patience as our teams worked hard to provide overnight accommodation in Perth and replacement flights on Monday morning.”

After the flight landed back in Perth, the man was confronted by TV reporters. He told 9News that he would plead guilty because then he wouldn’t face prison. Flexing his right bicep, he said “Sorry, guys” to his fellow passengers.