Police have charged a drunk Qantas passenger whose antics forced the Sydney-bound plane’s pilot to make an early landing at Cairns.

The male passenger, 34, reportedly broke free from four sets of handcuffs used to restrain him after he was caught trying to steal whisky from a service area on QF24 from Bangkok to Sydney.

He also reportedly shouted intermittently for hours and yelled “turn off the f***ing light c***”.

Australian Federal Police officers boarded the plane at Cairns and “removed the passenger without incident” on Sunday morning, a spokesman said.

The man was subsequently charged with behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner and interfering with crew or aircraft.

He’s due before Cairns Magistrate Court on Monday.