Chinese passenger accidentally opens airplane exit on door tarmac

The incident happened on July 4 as Air China flight CA2754 was waiting on the tarmac at Quzhou Airport in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province. The flight had been scheduled to fly to Chengdu City, reported the South China Morning Post.

However, when the passenger mistakenly opened the plane’s emergency exit door, the evacuation slide automatically deployed, rendering the aircraft unflyable for a time, according to Shanghai Daily.

A photo circulating on Chinese social media showed the aircraft parked in the middle of the tarmac with the slide in place and the door open.

The flight was quickly canceled and all passengers were taken to a hotel and compensated with 400 yuan (US$55) each.

The woman who opened the emergency door was then questioned by police, but her identity has not been revealed.

The incident has sparked attention on Chinese social media.

A Weibo user wrote: “She could have simply asked the crew where the toilet was. Though she was a first-time flyer, this was not an excuse.”

According to aviation experts, the woman could be fined up to $28,000 for opening the emergency door and causing the plane to be grounded for maintenance for several days.

Opening the emergency exit doors on a plane is illegal in China.

Standard flight crew practice is to issue several reminders to passengers not to accidentally open exit doors.