Police were called to more than 4000 incidents at Australia’s major airports over the Christmas-New Year holiday period.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Aviation Commander Craig Bellis said between December 1, last year, and January 31, the AFP were called for assistance 4205 times, with 93 people charged.
Commander Bellis said there were 132 counts laid for alleged criminal conduct with almost 50 percent of charges for offences against other people or property.
“This included a woman, 34, who was charged with allegedly assaulting two AFP officers at Perth Airport, one of whom was taken to hospital for injuries to his face and neck,” he said.
Commander Bellis said the remaining charges related to offences such as breaches of security zones, and unattended or prohibited items.
He said the AFP had zero tolerance for antisocial, violent or dangerous behaviour towards passengers, staff or law enforcement at airports and on aeroplanes.
“Travelling through our airports should be a safe experience, which is why the AFP and its government and industry partners work closely to prevent, disrupt and respond to security and criminal threats
“Protecting our airports cannot be tackled by one agency alone – working together and sharing knowledge with our public and private partners is crucial and remains a high personal priority.”
Commander Bellis said Australia’s airports were busier than ever, with passenger numbers at AFP-protected airports reaching 134 million in 2023-24 financial year.
He said AFP was responsible for security at nine designated airports – the Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, and Adelaide – with Western Sydney Airport to be the 10th when it opened in early 2026.
