Passengers subdue man with gun and knife as he boards Jetstar flight

“The lovely air hostess was just questioning this bloke trying to come on dressed up as a worker,” Clark said.

“He got agitated, and before we know it a shotgun appeared, and I was worried about it being shot, so all I could do was push her out of the way, get the gun out of the way, break that gun and throw it down the stairs, and then put him in a hold, throw him to the ground until the police came.

“I didn’t know what his full intention was, it looked like he was trying to get into the cockpit.

“You don’t think, you act. I’ve been taught from a boy to be responsible to look after others, and we’re a sporting family, so I was quietly confident I could handle him.

“I didn’t want to see that poor girl get shot, do you just gotta do what you gotta do.

“He was perfectly dressed for the job, he looked like a technician.”

Flight JQ610 was due to leave Avalon at 2.55pm but did not depart as scheduled.

Victoria Police confirmed they arrested a man at Avalon this afternoon.

“Police were called to the airport about 2.50pm after reports a man with a firearm attempted to board a commercial flight,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“The man was detained before getting onto the plane and police called.

“Officers attended and took the man into custody. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.”

Avalon Airport CEO Ari Suss also confirmed the incident.

“We are currently investigating the situation and our immediate focus is on the safety of our passengers and staff,” Suss said.

“This matter is currently being managed by Victoria Police, and we are cooperating fully with their investigation. At this time, Avalon Airport visitor access is closed until further notice.”

Jetstar confirmed an incident had occurred but referred all media inquiries to Victoria Police and Avalon Airport officials.

Meanwhile, an aircraft operated by Qantas’ regional offshoot, QantasLink, ploughed through about seven lights along the edge of a runway during take-off in the early hours after its pilots mistook them for the centre line, causing minor damage to the plane.

The QantasLink captain involved in the serious incident at Mildura Airport in north-west Victoria early last week has since tested positive for a medicine for which he did not have a prescription. Any pilot involved in an incident must undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing.

The two pilots of the Dash-8 aircraft have been stood down pending the outcome of investigations by air-safety regulators and the airline.