Mile-high rage grandmother to pay Qantas $23,543

File photo / NZPA

A New Zealand grandmother arrested for a drunken mile-high rage has been ordered to pay Qantas A$18,245 (NZ$23,543), the amount she cost the airline when she forced a Wellington-bound flight back to Melbourne.

Frances Macaskill, 58, needed to be strapped to a chair by flight crew after she punched a passenger in the face on Saturday morning.

In Melbourne Magistrates Court today, Magistrate Luisa Bazzani ordered Macaskill to pay restitution to the airline, fined her an additional A$3500 and sentenced her to four months jail suspended after two years.

Ms Bazzani described Macaskill's behaviour as "appalling'' and said some passengers on board the plane would have felt particularly vulnerable, local media reported.

Macaskill had pleaded guilty to one charge of offensive and disorderly behaviour on board an aircraft and one charge of assault over the air rage incident.

She has been banned for 10 years from flying with Qantas Group, which includes Jetstar and Jetconnect.

Air crew witnessed her drinking alcohol purchased dutyfree at Melbourne Airport prior to boarding the plane.

She was reportedly "extremely intoxicated'' when she started to disrupt other passengers and yell "profane language'' on the flight.

Qantas staff tried to calm Macaskill before she began punching seats in front of her "in a violent matter''. She stood up from her seat and punched a man in front of her in the face, causing a 6cm abrasion and heavy bleeding.

She was placed in flexicuffs and moved to an empty seat at the rear of the aircraft where she continued to yell and repeatedly headbutt the seat in front of her.

Cabin crew attached three child seatbelts together to strap Macaskill across the shoulders to the seat.

She was arrested by Australian Federal Police when the plane arrived back in Melbourne but was too drunk to be formally interviewed.

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