MELBOURNE, Australia – A passenger allegedly attacked a flight attendant on an Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Australia after he was told he wasn’t allowed to smoke on the plane.

The incident saw fellow travelers on flight EY460 forced to restrain the man and he was tied to his seat using cable ties until the plane landed in Melbourne.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was then arrested by Australian Federal Police man at Tullamarine Airport.

Speaking to the Brisbane Times, a Melbourne woman returning from a holiday in England said: ‘There was a lot of screaming, shouting and it was terrifying. There were about six or seven men who held him down and then the crew supplied cable ties to tie him to a seat in the last row.’

The drama happened around seven hours into the 13-hour flight, with the man said to be screaming and shouting as he was restrained in his seat.

The decision was taken by pilot and cabin crew not to make an emergency landing, as they believed the situation to be under control, and safe landing was made by the Boeing 777-300ER some six hours later.

Speaking to MailOnline Travel, a spokesperson for Etihad Airways said: ‘We can confirms that a male passenger was physically restrained on board flight EY460 from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne on Wednesday (June 17).

‘This was necessary because the passenger had assaulted a crew member and a fellow passenger when told by the cabin crew member that he could not smoke inflight. The male was restrained by cabin crew with the assistance of other passengers.

‘With the male passenger restrained and no longer a threat, a decision was by made by the pilot, in consultation with cabin crew and the airline’s security team, to continue the flight to Melbourne.

‘On arrival, Australian Federal Police officers attended and assisted.

‘Etihad Airways apologises to the passengers on board the flight for any distress the incident might have caused. The safety of Etihad Airways’ passengers, staff and assets is the airline’s number one priority.’