Hijack accused had mental healthcare tick

The woman accused of last Friday's alleged bid to hijack an aircraft had been assessed by mental health professionals but was not deemed a risk to herself or others, Nelson's health board has confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Nelson pilot injured in the drama has returned home but still faces significant recovery time.

The captain of the Air National flight grappled with 33-year-old Blenheim woman Asha Ali Abdille as his first officer safely landed the aircraft at Christchurch Airport on Friday morning.

She had demanded that the plane be flown to Australia and allegedly fought off passengers and crew with a knife.

The first officer was stabbed in the foot, and a middle-aged woman passenger from Christchurch was also injured.

The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board on Monday morning confirmed Abdille is a mental health services patient, and at her last visit was not assessed to be a risk to herself or others.

Board secretary Mike Cummins said Abdille had the "same right to privacy that any other patient within NMDHB is granted", so no other detail would be given.

All three victims have been granted name suppression.

The captain's wife on Monday morning told the Nelson Mail her husband and their two preschool children hadn't talked about when he would return to work.

"It's a bit of a strange time and we all need time to get our heads around what happened and the consequences that will be going for some time," she said.

Her husband had surgery for knife wounds on Friday. A stab wound to his left hand was going to take a long time to heal.

The children were "obviously upset that Daddy has been hurt", she said.

The two pilots have been described as heroes but she said it was a description her husband shied from.

The family returned to Nelson on Sunday after the pilot was discharged from Christchurch Hospital.

Abdille appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody while a psychiatric report was prepared. She was due back in court on February 22.

Air Nelson general manager John Hambleton said his company would be taking part in an Air New Zealand security review.

- © Fairfax NZ News