Image: Passengers and crew subdued the man mid-flight

A Sri Lankan man who threatened to blow up a plane minutes after take-off from Melbourne has been jailed for 12 years.

Manodh Marks, 26, shouted he had a bomb as the Malaysia Airlines plane climbed into the air on May 31 last year.

His actions subjected the 300 passengers and crew to 15 minutes of terror in the air and another 90 minutes on the tarmac after the plane aborted its flight.

The court was told Marks was in a drug-induced psychotic state at the time.

He did not have a bomb, but a device with flashing lights.

Marks was tackled by passengers and crew as he shouted about a bomb while trying to get into the cockpit of the plane.

In taking this into account, his guilty plea and his state of remorse, he was sentenced to a maximum of 12 years in jail with a non-parole period of nine years.

Marks will be deported at the end of his sentence.

Macquarie National News Reporter Dennis O’Kane was in court – click PLAY below to hear his report with Chris Smith