First-time flier opens plane's emergency exit 'for fresh air'

A Chinese passenger caused panic on board a domestic flight when he opened the emergency exit just before take-off to "let in some fresh air".

The man, reportedly a first time flier, opened the door next to his seat in front of shocked passengers, before the cabin crew intervened.

Technicians were able to re-seal the door, and after cabin crew explained the dangers of opening the door and changed his seat, the Xiamen Air flight was able to take-off without any serious delay.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Passengers posted images of the incident on social media with one man tweeting: "It's my first time seeing a passenger open the safety door."

Another said: "He told the attendants he just wanted some fresh air... hope our flight won't be delayed for too long."

The man was not punished for his offence, because the airline said he had not caused any damage and was not acting maliciously, according to the South China Morning Post.

"It was his first travel by air," said a member of airline staff. "He did not cause delay or any other direct loss to the airline."

This is the latest in a string of incidents involving Chinese passengers, according to The Guardian. It comes just days after another passenger opened the emergency exit because he was in a hurry to get off the plane and a week after an Air Asia flight had to return to its destination because a Chinese passenger threw boiling water at a flight attendant.