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A former baggage handler has been convicted over a social media stunt in a plane’s engine at Sydney Airport.
The 23-year-old, fitness influencer Preslie Ginoski, fronted court on Wednesday after previously using his position to enter a restricted area and record video of himself posing shirtless inside the turbine of a parked aircraft, then uploading the footage to the internet. He has been fined $2,400 after pleading guilty to two charges.
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In the footage, Ginoski can be seen in his shorts flexing and doing push-ups inside the engine as its fan appears to spin behind him.
@dailymail Bodybuilder Preslie Ginoski, 23, who climbed into a plane engine to do push-ups on the tarmac of Sydney Airport has defended his ‘dangerous’ stunt. Ginoski reportedly filmed the video last year but uploaded the clip to socials at the weekend, sparking a furious response from the airport. ‘Sydney Airport has zero tolerance for unsafe behaviour on the airfield, and we take all reports of potential safety breaches extremely seriously,’ a spokeswoman said. But, Mr Ginoski told Daily Mail Australia the viral clip has been taken too seriously, claiming it had not taken place near passengers or running aircraft. Read more at DailyMail.com 🎥 TikTok/whoispre #viral #bodybuilder #sydney #airport #engine #jet #influencer ♬ AURA – Ogryzek
He told the Daily Mail earlier this year that the video was “totally safe”, saying that the plane was parked on bay and not scheduled to move until the next day.
“There’s a lot of confusion about the fact that it was moving in the wind,” he said.
“Flight attendants and pilots always sit in the engines, it’s just because they’re taking photos that the turbines look stable. But it’s very common for people to sit inside the jet engine if it is cleared and safe to do so.”
Ginoski was subsequently interviewed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in February after a referral from the airport about dangerous activity airside, and investigators say they found six videos connected with the incident on his devices.
Police have stressed that an airport is “not a playground for social media stunts by passengers or people entrusted with access”.
“The AFP remains committed to the safety and security of all major Australian airports, irrespective of the crime type,” Davina Copelin, Commander of AFP Sydney Airport Police, said.
“Airside security zones are highly regulated and secure areas, and the AFP will not tolerate breaches which may compromise the safe operations of the airport, no matter how harmless they may seem.”
Ginoski appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday and was charged with:
- One count of threatening aviation security contrary to regulation 9.01 of the Aviation Transport Security Regulations (Cth), which attracts a maximum penalty of $15,500, and
- One count of failing to display a red ASIC in the airside security zone contrary to regulation 3.03 of the Aviation Transport Security Regulations (Cth), which attracts a maximum penalty of $1,650.
According to Graham White, head of security at Sydney Airport, the airport has a “zero-tolerance policy” for unsafe behaviour.
“We treat all reports of potential safety breaches seriously,” White said.
“The safety of passengers, airport staff and airport operations is our top priority, and we have stringent protocols in place to uphold all safety policies.
“We commend the swift response by the AFP and will continue to work closely with them to ensure the highest standards of safety are maintained for passengers, staff and visitors.”
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says:In two words – bloody idiot!