Passenger opens emergency door

An airline passenger on an early morning flight from Sydney caused havoc at Melbourne airport this week when he yanked open an emergency door and began walking along the wing.

The incident, which caused panic among the passengers, just after landing at Melbourne airport, took place at around 8,15am on Thursday August 22. A 33-year-old man, clearly anxious to get to baggage reclaim first, caused the emergency inflatable slide to open as the man to strolled along the wing. The gentleman in question was promptly arrested.

Passenger looked disturbed

One of the other passengers commented that the man stood up on landing and ignored instructions to sit back down immediately. He said the man looked disturbed as other passengers tried to restrain him. He was held down on the tarmac by ground handling staff until the police arrived.

This was not the first time

Thankfully, no one has ever been successful in opening a door or emergency exit at altitude due to the pressurisation of the aircraft. It has been estimated that the doors are held in place by up to 4 tonnes of pressure. However, a similar situation to that which occurred in Melbourne happened in 2023 when a passenger who was complaining of feeling suffocated when about to land in South Korea. The plane was still at about 200m moments before landing and his action caused panic on board.