PASSENGER OPENS PLANE DOOR MID FLIGHT

A passenger onboard an Asiana Airlines flight opened the plane’s emergency exit door as the plane prepared for landing.

The incident happened as the Airbus A321-200 was approaching a runway at Daegu International Airport. The airport is located about 240km south of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

A representative Asiana Airlines told AFP that a passenger sitting near the emergency exit “opened the door manually by touching the lever” while the plane was still about 200 meters above the ground.

“The passenger has been taken to the police and is under questioning” as the airline and authorities try to figure out why the 30-year-old male opened the door.

Although no major injuries were reported and the plane managed to land safely, several people were hospitalised once on the ground due to breathing difficulties.

According to a statement released by South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, any person who contravenes the Aviation Security Act, which includes passengers operating doors, exists, or equipment inside an aircraft, could be prosecuted and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Image credit: Sky News