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A female individual was apprehended for sprinting onto the runway at an airport, in what seemed to be an effort to signal a departing plane not to leave without her.
The event took place on Wednesday evening at Canberra Airport in Australia and was recorded by nearby witnesses.
The video shows a surprise visitor on the tarmac, standing near the QantasLink plane and seemingly attempting to grab the pilot’s attention right before takeoff.
Unable to prevent the plane from moving, she reverses direction and makes her way back to the terminal.
According to Dennis Bilic, who captured the event on video, individuals appeared to be caught off guard and unsure of how to react, which was a strange sight.
According to Mr. Bilic, the onlookers were left pondering, “Will anyone intervene?”
Simon Hales, an additional witness, characterized the occurrence as “odd”. He later posted on Facebook, “A woman who had missed her flight evidently believed she could still make it… fortunately, the pilot was alerted or noticed her and turned off the engine.”
According to Mr Hales, the woman forcefully made her way past the staff at the entrance, ran onto the tarmac, and approached the plane.
The Independent has reached out to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Canberra Airport for additional details.
A representative from the AFP verified to 9News that the female individual had been arrested for unlawfully entering and causing damage in an airside or security zone. Additionally, she was charged with possession of a small amount of cannabis.
This is not the first instance of someone attempting to catch a ride on an airplane in this unconventional manner.
In 2021, a female individual was apprehended in Los Angeles for trespassing on the tarmac at LAX Airport, allegedly attempting to signal an aircraft.
Source: independent.co.uk