Questions are raised over how a 17-year-old boy was allegedly able to evade security at Avalon Airport and board a flight with a loaded shotgun.

The 17-year-old is facing eight charges while a sheepshearer who stepped in to disarm him is being praised as a hero and has been offered free flights for life.

A passenger on the JQ610 flight to Sydney, Barry Clark, says he tackled a young man to the ground when he saw him holding a shotgun.

Police in Australia said an armed 17-year-old entered Avalon airport through a hole in the fence and was restrained by passengers and crew on the plane.

Police took an hour to attend a ­security alert at Avalon Airport over the weekend after a jerry can was found abandoned near a fence just two days after a teenager ­allegedly attempted to hijack a Jetstar plane.

A teenager allegedly armed with a shotgun breached an airport’s security fence and tried to force his way onto a commercial flight before being overpowered by passengers. Police were called to Avalon Airport near Geelong, in Victoria, on Thursday afternoon following reports a male with a firearm had attempted to board the Jetstar flight.

Staff at Avalon Airport have blown the whistle on the “horrifying” response from security after a teenager allegedly boarded a flight with a loaded firearm last week.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Sunday said he had written to a number of airports directing them to conduct safety assessments after a 17-year-old allegedly breached the security fence at Avalon armed with a shotgun and attempted to board a Jetstar flight on Thursday.

A teenager accused of attempting to hijack a Jetstar flight allegedly declared “I’ve got bombs in my bag” before he was tackled by passengers.

Police say a teenager allegedly entered Avalon Airport through a hole in the security fence before he boarded a Jetstar flight armed with a loaded shotgun.

In an interview with ABC Radio, passenger Barry Clark, one of the passengers involved in the teen's detainment, said the suspect began arguing with a flight attendant after boarding the plane. When the argument became heated, Clark said he intervened, according to the outlet.

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Large regional airports will need to conduct urgent risk assessments under a directive by the home affairs minister, in the ...