(AFP) Malaysia Airlines today said it had banned a male passenger from flying to Australia after he was detained by police recently for unruly behaviour during a flight.

"The male passenger who had planned to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane (on Tuesday) was notified by Malaysia Airlines that the airline has declined to accept him," said airlines senior general manager corporate services Mohamadon Abdullah in a statement.

He said the passenger was detained by the police to facilitate investigations for misconduct during a flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur last week.

"The incidence of unruly passenger behaviour has been on the rise of late, affecting the performance of Malaysia Airlines' inflight crew and causing nuisance to other passengers," he added.

The official said for this year alone there has been 20 reported incidents of unruly behaviour on its flights compared to 52 cases last year.