A British tourist's appeal against a prison sentence imposed for threatening to hijack an Australian airliner failed today.

Thomas James Lilico, 21, from Darlington, Co Durham, will have to serve one month in prison for making a threatening and false statement. He was also ordered him to pay £106 as a 12 month good behaviour bond.

In an appeal hearing in Cairns, District Court Judge Michael Noud refused to overturn the sentence.

''For my part, given recent tragedies overseas, no sentence is appropriate other than the one given, and that is despite Lilico's youth, good character, references and other mitigating features,'' Noud said.

''Also because of the importance of general deterrent, the sentence is the correct one,'' he added.

Lilico, who was on a working holiday in Australia, produced an aerosol can from his hand luggage and sprayed the cabin of a Qantas Airways flight before it left Cairns in Queensland for the northern city of Darwin on New Year's Day.

An airline attendant also heard Lilico threatening to use a knife to hijack the plane.

Lilico told federal police he did not remember making the remark and had drunk eight pints of beer in the six hours before boarding the plane.

During Lilico's sentencing in Cairns Magistrates Court, the prosecution and defence both told the court that a fine was an acceptable sentence.

However, Magistrate Ken Lynn disagreed. He said he wanted to make an example of Lilico, who had pleaded guilty, because people making threats aboard aircraft needed to be held accountable in the current world climate.