Airline Passenger Opens Emergency Exit As 'It Was Too Stuffy' Inside

A Xiamen Air flight from Wuhan to Lanzhou in China was delayed after a passenger opened the plane’s emergency door just before take-off.

According to local media, the incident took place onboard the Xiamen Air flight MF8215 on Monday. Cabin crew had briefed all the passengers seated by the emergency doors to not touch the door handle. However, the unidentified passenger, who appeared to be in her 50s, ignored the warning and opened the door while the flight was preparing to take off.

When confronted, the passenger said she opened the door as “it was too stuffy” and she wanted “some fresh air.”

Police were called and the woman was detained for questioning. The flight was delayed by an hour due to this. It was, however, not known if the woman faces any charges or travel ban for the move.

Meanwhile, a video of the incident uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday has gone viral. In the video, a row of passengers can be seen seated beside the emergency exit door which is wide open.

In a similar incident in May, an elderly Shandong Airline passenger was arrested after he tried opening an emergency exit after his flight from Jinan to Putuo near Shanghai landed. Local reports said the passenger, identified as 65-year-old Song, was a first-time flyer and wasn’t aware of the safety rules. When he noticed there were no stairs leading down from the main exit, he thought he could exit via the flight’s “side door.” Crew alerted the police who arrested the passenger. He told the officers that he did not do it purposely and that he “deeply regretted” his actions. Song was given 10-day detention.