Source : Perth Now news
A Brisbane man has been accused of piloting an illegal “black flight” to help two Aussie fugitives skip the country.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested a 32-year-old man at Brisbane Airport on Thursday evening, when he arrived back in Australia from Indonesia.
It is alleged that the man, along with an Indonesian man, had flown a “black flight” from Port Stewart in Far North Queensland to the Asian nation.
Police claim two wanted individuals boarded the flight, which was operating with its transponder deactivated, and disembarked in Merauke, Indonesia.
When the flight landed, it was intercepted by Indonesian authorities and the aircraft was seized.
The AFP investigation began in November 2025, when the four men on board the flight were detained in South Papua.
One of the two fugitives was a 34-year-old man who was on bail for kidnapping offences, with conditions preventing him from international travel.
The second was a 35-year-old man with three outstanding arrest warrants, including for large commercial drug supply and manufacture.
On his return to Australia, the pilot was arrested by the AFP.
He will front court on Friday.
“A black flight involves a light aircraft that logs false or no flight plans, flies at a very low altitude or turns off flight monitoring systems to avoid law enforcement, Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said.
“These flights are extremely reckless and anyone taking part is seriously risking their life and those on board.”
