This man has become one of the most recognised faces in Australia. But why?

His name is Matt Lockley. He’s a 28-year-old Brisbane man who wears flip flops and over the last three days he’s become one of the most recognised people in Australia.

Why?

Because on Friday it was reported that Mr Lockley had allegedly hijacked a Virgin Australia plane flying from Brisbane to Bali.

Just a few minutes after the story broke on Indonesian TV, hijacking fears were replaced by the story of an “unruly passenger” who reportedly knocked on the plane’s cockpit door.

We’re all wondering, what actually happened on that plane and why did the pilots hit the panic button?

There have been multiple reports about how Mr Lockley came to be escorted by an armed unit of the Indonesian police from an airplane, instead of exiting calmly via the forward stairs like he would have otherwise.

There were reports he was drunk. Then he wasn’t. Then reports he was high on pain killers. Then he wasn’t. According to investigators and witnesses on flight VA41, Mr Lockley woke up during the flight and thought his bag had gone missing. He was asked to sit at the rear of the aircraft after talking to the woman in the seat next to him and it was at that point that Mr Lockley decided to find a toilet.

Addressing the media on Sunday, the 28-year-old said he simply mistook the cockpit door for the toilet door.

“I just want to say that this has been a huge misunderstanding. I had a panic attack and I just wanted to use the toilet and I made an accident by knocking on the cockpit door.”

“I want to say thank you to the Indonesian police and authorities, they have only followed procedure and they have provided me with a lot of care and support. I am very grateful for everything they have done. The Indonesian police and government have been very helpful.”

The question now is why the hijacking alerts were made if the story was simply a case of a confused man and a mistaken door?

It’s fair to say that after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the lack of solid evidence as to what became of it and the 239 passengers and crew on board, the world is on a high alert. Boarding a plane or watching a family member embark on a trip is not the ordinary experience it once was.

Suddenly, flying is fraught with worry and fear.

And so it’s little wonder that the world reacted the way it did when news of a hijacking came from a routine Australian flight.

According to a report for Brisbane Times, an alert was sent from the flight at 2.05pm on Friday. But that alert remained on for 45 minutes until the plane landed at 2:50pm.

Mr Lockley did not face charges from Indonesia over the incident and will fly back to Brisbane today. There is still no word over whether he would face charges from Australian authorities.