The Australian Federal Police has charged a man over a series of hoax calls to pilots and air traffic control staff at Melbourne airports.
The 19-year-old man was arrested following an investigation into 16 separate instances of unauthorised radio transmissions between September and November.
In one of the alleged incidents, a passenger flight aborted its landing as it approached Melbourne Airport.
The man was charged with four counts of endangering the safety of aircraft and one count of interference likely to endanger safety or cause loss or damage.
The AFP’s head of crime operations, Chris Sheehan, said the offences carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
“The current security measures in place for the airline industry are robust, and the traveling public should be reassured we are treating this matter appropriately,” Mr Sheehan said in statement.
“These incidents were thoroughly investigated by the AFP with the technical support of Airservices and the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority).”
The alleged transmissions took place over the course of a month between September 5 and November 3 this year.
The man appeared in court briefly this afternoon. He did not apply for bail.
He is due to reappear in the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court next week.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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Feature image via Instagram/melbourneairportau