Airline Passenger Tried Opening Emergency Exit At 30,000 Feet, Terrifying Other Travelers

An EasyJet passenger tried to open a plane door while the jet was mid-air at 30,000 feet, leaving his co-travelers terrified. The incident took place Wednesday on board a packed flight from Gatwick, London, to Pisa, Italy.

Passengers rushed to assist crew members in tackling the man after he tried to force open the emergency exit door of the Airbus A319. The man, in his 30s, was forced into a seat and “boxed in” by other passengers. Co-passengers began screaming in panic during the incident.

Businessman Richard Conyard, 42, who was on board the plane, told local media that he noticed the man enter the toilet looking “a little nervous” and wearing a heavy coat.

“When he came out he went towards the emergency exit and grabbed the handle and tried to open the door," he told the Sun. “One of the crew screamed at him to stop and other passengers started shouting and crying. Everyone was understandably very scared... A couple of guys went to help. I joined them. We bundled him into a seat,” Conyard said, adding that all passengers had to stay in their seats upon landing until police arrived.

EasyJet confirmed to the Sun that the captain of Flight EZY8233 from London Gatwick to Pisa had asked the police to come to the aircraft upon arrival because of the “disruptive behavior of a passenger onboard during the descent.”

"EasyJet can confirm that the Captain of flight EZY8233 from London Gatwick to Pisa on 24 April requested police to meet the aircraft on arrival as a passenger made an attempt to open one of the cabin doors during the descent," an easyJet spokeswoman said. "While it would not have been possible to open the door due to the cabin pressurisation, the crew responded quickly to ensure the passenger remained seated until landing... EasyJet's cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time. Safety is always easyJet's highest priority."

Pisa Airport police took the man into custody and questioned him. It remained unclear if the man from Siena in Italy would face any charged for the incident.

In October 2018, a passenger on board a Frontier Airlines flight from Cancun, Mexico, to St. Louis, Missouri, was escorted from the plane after he caused disturbance and tried to get off the flight while it was taxing to the runway. According to the airline spokesperson, the passenger became physically violent with a flight attendant and opened a cabin door, which led to the emergency slide being automatically deployed.