What was already a marathon flight was made even longer Saturday after a disruptive male passenger forced a Qantas Perth-London nonstop flight to turnaround.

Two Qantas Boeing 787s winged their way to London Sunday after Saturday’s flight was delayed because crew no longer has sufficient available duty hours.

The captain made the decision to turnaround Flight QF-9 about two hours into the flight and before the meal service.

The passenger, a 32-year old male in economy class, allegedly become violent and disruptive and had to be restrained.

Witnesses said he became highly aggressive as passengers tried to control him and cabin crew attempted to calm him down.

The West Australian quoted one passenger as saying the man appeared “incredibly agitated” and his behavior was “hyper-aggressive, like a cornered animal”.

The witness praised Qantas staff for controlling the passenger and keeping everyone on board calm during the ordeal.

He said the man had walked to or toward the bathroom in the middle of the cabin and went to sit back down again.

“Whatever happened next he was suddenly standing up and shouting and pointing in an extremely aggressive manner,” he said.

“I wasn’t sure what he was saying. Passengers leaped in to control him, Qantas staff tried to calm him. He was eventually marched down the back of the plane.

“He was by this time highly, highly wound up.”

The unruly passenger was taken off the plane by Australian Federal Police and Qantas later placed a “no-fly ban ” on him preventing him from traveling on Qantas Group flights until the investigation into the matter is completed. he could also face a hefty bill if the airline decides to move to to recover the costs of the disruption.

“This type of disruption inconveniences our customers, but we take a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive behavior on board,’ a Qantas spokeswoman said.

“The safety of our crew and customers is our number one priority.

“We provided customers with overnight accommodation and will have them on their way as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their patience.”

The delayed plane left at 12:30pm Sunday.

The ultra-long-haul turn-back came after Qantas launched its first international Dreamliner flights from Queensland earlier this month with a daily service from Brisbane to Los Angeles and onwards to New York.

Read Qantas-London nonstop setting load and profitability records.

Four of the national carrier’s new Boeing 787-9s will be based in Brisbane, as the state-of-the-art aircraft gradually replace the 747 on key routes.

Dreamliner services from Brisbane to Hong Kong will start in December, with other destinations to follow.  Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver are the favorites.

The airline is predicting the 787 base will drive tourism and jobs in the Australian state,

“We’ll have 120 cabin crew and pilots based in Brisbane to operate the Dreamliner flights and a further 350 indirect jobs are expected to be created as a result,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said.

“The Dreamliner also opens up the potential to drive tourism to Queensland over the long term given the increased range of the 787.

“There are a number of new destinations we’re considering for new direct services from Brisbane, including Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco in the US, as well as Vancouver and cities in Asia.”

The airline also started direct 787-9 flights between Melbourne and San Francisco recently. The national carrier will operate four return flights per week on the route.

Korea’s Jeju-Seoul and Australia’s Melbourne-Sydney were the world’s busiest domestic air routes in 2017 while Hong Kong-Tapei Taoyuan topped the list of international routes.

But it was US citizens that flew the most,  with 632 million passengers accounting for 18.6 percent of the world total.

Figures released Thursday by the International Air Transport Association confirm that airlines carried more than 4 billion passengers for the first time ever and provided regular services to more than 20,000 city pairs.

The number of city pairs was more than double the level in 1995.

“In 2000, the average citizen flew just once every 43 months,’’ IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac said in releasing the 62^nd World Air Transport Statistics yearbook.

“In 2017, the figure was once every 22 months. Flying has never been more accessible. And this is liberating people to explore more of our planet for work, leisure and education.”

READ: IATA urges action on Indian aviation bottlenecks.

Jeju- Seoul topped the list of domestic routes with 13.5 million passengers, up 14.8 percent on 2016. Melbourne-Sydney came a distant second with 7.8 million passengers, up 0.4 percent.

It was followed closely by Fukuoka-Tokyo Haneda (7.6 million), Sapporo-Tokyo Haneda (7.4 million) and Beijing Capital-Shanghai Hongqiao (6.4 million).

For International routes, Hong Kong-Taipei Taoyuan (5.4 million) was followed by Jakarta -Singapore (3.3 million), Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Hong Kong (3.1 million), Kuala Lumpur–Singapore (2.8 million) and Hong Kong-Seoul Incheon (2.7 million).

US carriers dominated the top five airlines with Dubai-based Emirates the only outsider.

The list was led by American Airlines (324 million) followed by  Delta Air Lines (316.3 million), United Airlines (311 million), Emirates (289 million) and Southwest Airlines (207.7 million).

A regional breakdown of the 4.1 billion passengers traveling globally saw the Asia Pacific well in the lead with a 36.3 percent market share and 1.5 billion passengers, up 10.6 percent on 2016.

It was followed by Europe with a 26.3 percent market share and 1.1 billion passengers, North America (23 percent, 942 million passengers) Latin America (7 percent, 286m passengers) the Middle East  (5.3 percent, 216 million passengers0 and Africa (2.2 percent and 88.5m passengers).

A new segment looking at nationality rather than country of residence found US nationals formed the biggest group of air travelers followed by citizens of China (555m), India (161.5m) the UK (147m) and Germany (114.4m).

South Australian capital Adelaide will be the global launch destination for Singapore Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900 aircraft fitted with its new medium-haul cabin products.

The December 18 launch on flights SQ278/279 will see the two-class,  303-seat A350-900 operating to Adelaide daily and deliver a 7 percent increase in seat capacity to one of the city’s strongest air routes.

The A350 is the Airbus answer to Boeing’s 787 and has similar advantages in terms of  lower cabin pressure and improved lighting.  It’s wider body and the way Airbus has designed the cabin walls impart a sense of spaciousness.

Singapore plans to use an ultra-long range version of the A350-900 to launch the world’s longest flight, between Singapore and New York, in October.

The medium-haul aircraft is equipped with the Airline’s recently launched new medium-haul business and economy class products, with 40 business seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration that provides all customers with a direct aisle access and 263 economy seats are in a 3-3-3 arrangement.

The new Stella Aerospace business class seat reclines into a 76-inch fully-flat bed It is 26 inches wide and comes with retractable armrests, ample storage space and a 17-inch high definition touchscreen monitor.

READ our reviews of Singapore Airlines.

The economy seats feature an ergonomically-designed contour backrest, a six-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings to provide more neck support and an 11.6-inch HD touchscreen monitor.

There is also personal storage for small items, a coat hook, USB port and in-seat power.

The A350 is equipped with in-flight wi-fi and the latest Thales AVANT in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The new IFE includes Krisworld’s more intuitive navigation options and the ability to personalize the experience with content recommendations based on preferences and viewing history.

Members of Singapore’s KrisFlyer frequent flyer program are also able to bookmark and resume content,  as well as customize and save preferences and playlists for their subsequent flights.

The arrival of the A350 comes as Singapore is poised to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of its Adelaide operations.

“We have proudly operated services to Adelaide since 1984 and the deployment of our first A350-900 medium-haul aircraft with our new medium-haul cabin products to the South Australian capital is an exciting new chapter in our 34-year history,” said Singapore Airlines regional vice president, South West Pacific  Philip Goh.

“The decision to deliver increased capacity to the city reinforces our commitment to South Australia and will provide more opportunities to grow inbound and outbound travel.

“The introduction of the new aircraft will allow us to better serve the South Australian travel market and continue to provide our customers with a premium service offering.

“I am sure our South Australian customers will embrace being the first in the world to experience the new medium-haul cabin products onboard the A350.”

Goh also announced that Brisbane would be the second Australian city to receive the medium-haul A350-900, subject to regulatory approval.

“To better meet the growing demands of the market in Brisbane, we will deploy the medium-haul A350-900 with more Economy Class capacity to Queensland next year,”  he said.

“This aircraft change will happen once we receive the second of our A350 aircraft fitted with the medium-haul product.”

“The change will increase the number of seats available on a weekly basis between Brisbane and Singapore by around 5 percent.’’

Singapore has ordered 67 A50-900s, 21 of which have already been delivered.

Jetstar is slugging passengers at least $A13 for 3kgs of cabin baggage it once allowed on board free of charge.

The $A13 applies to domestic flights in Australia booked online but the fee could be higher or lower depending on the type of flight and when it is booked.

The extra 3kg is available for between $NZ6 and $NZ8 on New Zealand domestic flights because of shorter distances flown,  while on longer international flights the price is greater and ranges between $A22 and $A27.

The low-cost carrier initially allowed passengers using its cheapest fares to fly with cabin baggage weighing up to 10kg but in 2014 slashed that to 7kg.

Jetstar at that time denied the decision was a revenue-raising exercise, saying instead it was in response to customer frustration over insufficient room in overhead lockers.

“To address this, we are reducing the amount of baggage that customers can bring on board, which will align us with other carriers in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region,’’ a spokesman said at the time.

“This change will help speed up the boarding process, enable more flights to depart on time and ensure all customers get their fair share of overhead locker space.’’

The airline introduced random checks of carry-on and introduced punitive excess cabin baggage fees which meant passengers with cabin baggage outside the limit could be slugged as much as $A60/$NZ60 on domestic Australian or New Zealand flights.

The new deal affects people on starter fares and allows them to again carry 10kgs of cabin baggage on services operating from September 4.

Read: Jetstar tightens checks after 12-year-old’s lone Bali trip.

The offer is limited and the airline said that meant there was limited space on each aircraft.

However, the $60 charge remains for people pinged at the gate and those seeking to buy the 3kgs when they check in will pay $30.

Jetstar Group chief customer officer Catriona Larritt said the initiative gave customers “more choice”.

“Customers told us that they would like the option to carry more on board and so we are pleased to be able to offer them the option to purchase an extra three kilos,’’ she said.

“The extra carry-on allowance is particularly useful for those traveling with a laptop or camera bag or those traveling on short trips with an overnight bag who are after a quick departure from the airport without a wait at the baggage carousel”.

Passengers buying more expensive FlexiBiz fares can take up to 10kg on board as part of their fare.

Separately, Emirates and Jetstar Pacific announced a new codeshare agreement that expanded their existing partnerships.

The new codeshare services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi connect Emirates passengers to 14 Vietnamese cities beyond Ho Chi Minh City and six cities beyond Hanoi.

Emirates will also operate codeshare flights with Jetstar Pacific between the latter’s hub in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, as well as Bangkok.

It’s been 50 years—five full decades—since Salt Lake City International Airport got more than a mere makeover.

Now, that’s about to change.

Delta Air Lines’ pivotal western hub is getting a full-blown $US3.6-billion blitz of a rebuild.

Phase One is set for a 2020 debut. The last of the massive project is set to come online four years later.

The terminal layout will be the soul of simplicity: a large central terminal connected via an underground passenger terminal to a pair of linear concourses. This arrangement will replace the present geriatric terminal.

The new facility is set to move both passengers and aircraft about more efficiently. A case-in-point is that most up and down movements via escalator will be eliminated, making the terminal easier and quicker to navigate.

The efficiency theme carries through to the tarmac. Salt Lake City airport (SLC) says the new concourses will eliminate aircraft parking bottlenecks, allowing airlines to get their aircraft to the gate and back into the air faster than they’re able now. The bottom line for passengers is fewer delays.

The Salt Lake City Department of Airports says the US$3.6-billion rebuild is being paid for entirely through user fees, primarily by the airlines. Salt Lake City International contends, “Even after the project is complete, SLC will have a significantly lower cost per passenger than other major US .” This matters much to continually cost-conscious carriers.”

READ: Luggage fees soar as airline bagmen strike.

A bit of context: SLC as we know it today is the product of the 1987 merger of Delta and Western Airlines, a classy major airline that fell prey to the merger mania that swept the airline industry in the late 1980s.

Currently, Delta commands some 70 percent of the 370 daily scheduled departures. The airport lofts nonstop flights to almost 98 cities.

Delta can fly you nonstop from Salt Lake City to London and Paris. KLM flies nonstop to Amsterdam.

When the airport’s spacious new terminal and complex become a reality (workers recently “topped out” construction of the project’s first phase) international market access should get a boost, opening up even more connections alternatives—especially for flyers used to arch-rival Denver International.

DEN lies a mere 391 air miles to the East, over the Rocky and Wasatch mountain ranges.