The plane was forced to land in Papeete, Tahiti, where local authorities came on board the aircraft and arrested the passenger.
The plane was refuelled and able to complete its journey to Dallas, while the passenger has been banned from all Qantas Group flights, which includes Jetstar.
It’s understood the incident occurred aboard flight QF21, an 18-hour journey, with a screen in the video indicating there were still nearly 11 hours left of the journey at the time of the disruption.
Fellow passengers reportedly rushed to assist the airline crew during the confrontation, and no serious injuries were caused.
Segments of the apparent exchange were caught on camera by comedian Mike Goldstein, who was on the flight to Dallas-Fort Worth and shared a video on Instagram.
His video showed a passenger emerging from a bathroom and arguing with flight attendants about his behaviour.
The passenger was stumbling, slurring his words, and repeatedly swearing at crew members and other passengers.
“There’s kids around everywhere and you’re acting immature,” one flight attendant appeared to tell the passenger.
“You have to behave yourself, you’re on a plane.”
The passenger expressed some confusion at the fact that he was on a plane, and asked one flight attendant if he was “smoking any weed”.
“I was just about to walk out for a cigarette,” the passenger said.
Goldstein’s video shows the passenger appearing to become more aggressive when he is told to go to the back of the plane.
“The safety of our customers and our crew is our number one priority,” a Qantas spokesperson told 9News.com.au.
“We have zero tolerance for disruptive or threatening behaviour on our flights.”
The flight ultimately arrived at its Dallas-Fort Worth destination several hours late on Saturday morning Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
The Australian Federal Police have been contacted for comment.
The mid-air disruption follows a string of recent high-profile incidents on domestic routes.
Just last month, a 45-year-old Queanbeyan man was charged by the AFP after allegedly kicking a flight attendant and biting a fellow passenger on a Canberra to Perth flight.
Similarly, in January, a 52-year-old Canberra woman was escorted off a flight at Perth Airport and charged after allegedly behaving erratically and forcibly grabbing a flight attendant’s arm and head.
At the time of the previous incidents, AFP Acting Superintendent Hayley Faithfull reiterated that the agency works closely with airline partners to intervene in cases of aggressive or antisocial behaviour that poses a direct threat to crew or public safety.
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