A mid-air brawl could cost a group of Australian men tens of thousands of dollars after a Phuket-bound Jetstar flight was forced to divert to Bali.
Flight JQ27 departed Sydney at 2.25pm on Wednesday and was mid-flight when a fight broke out between six men, some from Bathurst and all known to each other - seated in row 53.
The flight was diverted to Bali, where the men - identified as Bradley Beecham, Brett Eldridge, Michael Matthews, Mark Rossiter, Lynmin Waharai and Ricky William - were escorted off the plane by police.
Mr Matthews reportedly punched in the face and needed medical attention for facial injuries on the tarmac in Bali.
The plane, with the remaining 309 passengers, did not arrive in Phuket until 11.15pm - more than two hours later than scheduled.
It is understood Jetstar is now considering seeking costs, which could run into the tens of thousands of dollars, from the men for the diversion.
In the past, Qantas and Jetstar have sought costs from disruptive customers and banned them from flying on the airlines for up to 10 years.
Three of the men are due to arrive in Melbourne on a Jetstar flight at 10.10pm on Friday night. Their three friends are expected to be flown to Sydney and are due arrive at 6.15am on Saturday.
Both groups will be accompanied by two Jetstar security guards each.
A spokeswoman for Australian Federal Police would not confirm if the men would be arrested upon their return to Australia, but said authorities were aware of the incident.
"Presently the matter is in the hand of Indonesia authorities," spokeswoman said. "It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."
The men, who remain in the custody of Indonesian police, have offered authorities no explanation for the mid-air brawl, other than they were all drunk.
"They all claim the fight started because they were drunk," Yusfandri Gona, head of Ngurah Rai Airport Authority, said.
"They consumed beers and liquors. That's what they claim; we can't verify their story further as we weren't able to interview the crew or other passengers on the flight."
One passenger on the Jetstar flight, Ryan Fuller, said a bottle of duty-free cognac was smashed in the ruckus.
Megan Wilson wrote on Facebook that her three friends were on the flight, one of whom described the incident as scary.
"She was in tears and kids etc ... were screaming," Ms Wilson wrote on Facebook after speaking to her friend.
"Blood was everywhere. It was a massive punch up."
In 2012, Melbourne Magistrates Court ordered a 58-year-old woman to pay $18,245 to Qantas after she assaulted a fellow passenger on a New Zealand-bound flight.
The flight had to be returned to Melbourne after the woman punched a male passenger and yelled obscenities at other passengers and crew. She was also handed a four-month suspended jail sentence and fined $3500.
with Deborah Gough, Amilia Rosa
Bathurst men detained in Bali after mid-air fight on Jetstar plane
AT least two of the six men detained by police after a wild fight broke out on a Jetstar plane bound for Phuket have been identified as Bathurst locals.
Fairfax Media reported on Friday that the six men would be escorted home by security officers following the mid-air disturbance.
Flight JQ27 was diverted to Bali, where the six men - identified as Bradley Beecham, Brett Eldridge, Michael Matthews, Mark Rossiter, Lynmin Waharai and Ricky William - were escorted off the plane by police.
The men, who have been taken into custody by Indonesian police, have offered authorities no explanation for the mid-air brawl, other than they were all drunk.
Mr Rossiter and Mr Beecham are known to be from Bathurst.
Yusfandri Gona, head of Ngurah Rai Airport Authority said the men all knew each other. Mr Matthews was believed to have been injured in the brawl. He was kept separate while the other men were interviewed.
The other five denied hitting Mr Matthews, Mr Gona said, and they were later being detained in one room.
Six Jetstar security officers - one for each man - were expected to arrive in Bali on Thursday night. They were expected to escort the men back to Australia on Friday.
In a statement, Jetstar described the men as “extremely disruptive”. One of the men escorted off the plane had a black eye.
One passenger, Ryan Fuller, said he was seated nearby and that a bottle of duty-free cognac was smashed in the ruckus.
Megan Wilson wrote on Facebook that her three friends were on the flight, one of whom described the incident as scary.
“She was in tears and kids etc ... were screaming,” Ms Wilson wrote on Facebook after speaking to her friend.
“Blood was everywhere. It was a massive punch up.”
Jetstar said the men refused requests from the crew to settle down, prompting the captain to take action.
“The captain decided to divert the flight to Bali, where Indonesian police took the disruptive passengers off the aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.
Head of Ngurah Rai Airport Authority, Yusfandri Gona, said one of the passengers suffered facial bruises and needed a doctor.
The men were all seated in row 53 and are known to each other, Mr Gona said.
“They all claim the fight started because they were drunk,” Mr Gona said.
“They consumed beers and liquors. That’s what they claim; we can't verify their story further as we weren't able to interview the crew or other passengers on the flight."
Mr Gona said the five men were likely to be sent home on separate flights from Thursday evening, ending their planned holiday.
He said Bali officials would hand over the investigation to Australian police.
“We hope the Australian government imposes and penalises them under Australian law, as one suffered injuries,” he said.
“We hope Australia can be stern as to prevent future incidents.”
A Jetstar spokesman said he was not able to release the men's travel plans for privacy reasons.
However, it is understood the men will be escorted back to Australia by security officers.
Jetstar is investigating whether it could seek compensation from the group for the cost of the unscheduled stopover.
Medical officers examined the five men and one was quite badly injured, but all were certified to fly, Mr Gona said.
The remaining 309 passengers, including seven babies, continued on their journey to Phuket, Jetstar said.
“We take safety and security seriously and we don't tolerate disruptive behaviour by passengers on our flights,” the airline’s statement reads.
“The other customers on board supported the decision to offload the group in Bali, and thanked the crew.”
The flight took off from Sydney at 2.25pm and did not arrive in Phuket until 11.15pm, more than two hours later than scheduled.
