A Sri Lankan man charged over a bomb threat on a plane at Melbourne Airport has avoided appearing in court because he felt unsafe, while police have defended their decision to force passengers to wait 90 terrifying minutes on the tarmac for officers to board.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur was forced to turn back shortly after take-off when a mantried to enter the cockpit while carrying what police described as a "speaker-type" object.
Police allege the man, who was screaming that he had a bomb, was 25-year-old Sri Lankan catering student Manodh Monaragala Marks, who was living in Dandenong, in Melbourne's south-east.
Marks is charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft and was remanded in custody after a brief hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
The court heard he had concerns for his safety in custody and did not appear in person.
The court was also told Marks had requested to see a mental health nurse urgently, and had recently been a patient at Monash Health.
Police had earlier said Marks had a history of mental illness and was only released from psychiatric care on Wednesday.
He was scheduled to appear for a committal mention on August 24.
