Air New Zealand flights have been relatively free of on-board violence and incidents.

One of the worst was an attempted hijack of an Air New Zealand 747 flight after the first coup in Fiji in 1987.

That attempt was foiled when the hijacker was hit on the head with a bottle of whisky.

Last year a man ran amok and began a fight on a flight from Auckland to Wellington.

Several passengers restrained him but he was not charged because of his mental health.

After that incident Aviation Security Service general manager Mark Everitt said flight crews were trained to deal with unruly passengers but would not give details on the training or confirm Air New Zealand carried handcuffs or other restraints on their aircraft.

- NZPA