The AFP has warned travellers they face harsh penalties - including imprisonment - amid a crackdown on people using fake identities on domestic flights in Australia.
Following an increase in incidents during 2025, the AFP is working to disrupt this crime and has reminded travellers it is a criminal offence to board an aircraft using false details.
This includes passengers who use another person's boarding pass, who buy a ticket under their own name for another person, or who pay for a flight using a stolen credit card.
A person found to be travelling or attempting to travel under false details can be charged with travelling using false identification information, contrary to section 376.4(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence and related offences is 12 months' imprisonment.
AFP Commander Aviation Craig Bellis said passengers used false identities to travel interstate for myriad reasons, the majority far from innocent.
"One factor the AFP sees during investigations of this nature is the fraudulent use of identity documents to facilitate criminal activity in other Australian states or territories," Commander Bellis said.
"There are members of the community who are not permitted to leave their respective states, for various reasons, and if these people are attempting to do so, they are breaking the law.
"This can be a deliberate attempt to conceal their identities to make it harder for authorities to identify those persons of interest in ongoing criminal investigations.
"That's why it's essential to know who is travelling on our domestic flights and where they are heading.
"The AFP is working to identify and disrupt potential threats."
The AFP has a presence at nine airports around the country, being Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
This includes active patrols by AFP officers, who work closely with airport security teams to identify people suspected of travelling under false identities.
In January this year, a Brisbane man was charged after he allegedly made a threatening statement while onboard an aircraft at Sydney Airport.
When AFP officers attended, they allegedly found the man was travelling under a false name.
In February, a New South Wales man was charged during a money laundering investigation after the AFP seized about $1.1 million from a suitcase at Perth Airport.
The investigation began when the man allegedly tried to use a credit card - differing in detail to his boarding pass - to pay an excess baggage fee for the suitcase.
Commander Bellis said the AFP would continue to work closely with partners inside the airport precinct to ensure travellers abided by Australian laws.
He also encouraged airport staff and members of the public to report any suspicious activity when travelling.
"Passengers can find AFP officers on site at all designated Australian airports, working closely with airport security teams," Commander Bellis said.
"Those officers are there to ensure the safety of all visitors to the airport precinct."
If you wish to report an incident at one of the nine designated airports, or provide information, call the AFP's Airport Watch on 131 AFP (131 237).
Stop and think. A safe journey starts with you.
Every piece of information you provide could be the key to identifying and preventing a threat at our airports. That's why the AFP is asking you to adopt the: "See it. Hear it. Report it." approach.
Behaviours to report include:
Taking photos of security cameras, screening, or perimeter fencing
Avoiding screening
Leaving bags unattended
Loitering
Concealing identity
Exhibiting erratic behaviour
If you see it or hear it, report it to Airport Watch at 131 237 (131 AFP).
You can make a difference!
