25-year old Puvaneethan was due to be transferred from Melbourne to Darwin, where he would have been prepared for deportation.
"After boarding QF838 in Melbourne, a number of passengers became disruptive. The passengers refused to follow cabin crew instruction so were offloaded and met by the AFP," a Qantas spokesperson said.
"The issue has since been resolved with the flight departing approximately 50 minutes later."
Mr Puvaneethan, who fears torture if he was returned to Sri Lanka, expressed gratitude to the protestors.
“I’m back in the room and I’m fine. I want to say thank-you to all the people who helped
me,” Mr Puvaneethan told the Tamil Refugee Council (TRC).
The TRC in a statement said while they are encouraged by the protest, the government is continuing to plan deportations.
“We are thankful for the work of the activists and we are encouraged by the fact that the passengers intervened,” said Tamil Refugee Council convenor, Trevor Grant.
“However, this is not over yet. We are sure the government will be plotting another
course of action to send this man back. We will all continue to work to ensure that this
man and other Tamils are not deported to danger.”
Protestor Jasmine Pilbrow said she explained to passengers what was happening, two of whom subsequently joined her in the protest.
“After it was explained to the passengers what was happening and that [the asylum seeker] was on the flight, two passengers stood up and refused cabin staff instructions to buckle up. They were escorted off the plane by the staff,” demonstrator Jasmine Pilbrow said.
"I refused to sit down until he was taken off the flight," the 21-year-old said. "If he is sent back to Sri Lanka, he is likely to be imprisoned and tortured."
The Immigration Department said that, despite the protest, the transfer would go ahead.
"This routine transfer involved a domestic movement and was not a deportation," a spokesperson said. "Due to the action of some of these protesters, the transfer did not proceed and some passengers were inconvenienced as a result.
"This was an unfortunate incident and the department will continue with plans to transfer this detainee."
On Sunday protestors walked onto the court during the Australian Open final between Scotsman Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, calling for the closure of the Manus Island offshore detention centre.
The group behind the protest said in a statement: “We have created this international media spectacle today to expose the torture, abuse, and horrific conditions that are being perpetrated on Manus Island”.
“We will not be silent. We are drawing a line with this issue. If we allow this to happen, there is no end to what this government is capable of.”
