Bali airport was on Friday closed after a drunk passenger caused a huge security alert when he attempted to enter the cockpit of a Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Denpasar.

The pilot got scared by the passenger's behavior and reported a hijacking attempt.

Virgin Australia airport manager at Ngurah Rai, Heru Sudjatmiko said that a passenger on board flight VA41 had tried to enter the cockpit of the plane but he was stopped by the crew. The man was arrested and put into a rear seat of the Boeing 737-800.

"The Department can confirm the arrest of a Queensland man following an incident on board a Virgin Airline flight to Denpasar. The Australian Consulate will provide consular assistance as required," a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

It is learned that the drunken man banged on the cockpit door and tried to enter the cockpit causing a hijack scare. Indonesian authorities shut down Ngurah Rai airport after interpreting the incident on flight VA41 as a hijacking. Virgin, however, quickly rejected this speculation.

"It was a hundred per cent not a hijacking," a spokesman for the airline said. The man arrested by Indonesian authorities has been identified as Australian Matt Christopher.