Passenger Opens Emergency Exit for ‘Breath of Fresh Air’

A passenger on a Chinese airline delayed the flight by over an hour Monday when she decided to open an emergency exit door after the cabin felt “too stuffy.”

According to The Daily Express, a female passenger on Xiamen Airlines Flight MF 8215 from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to the city of Lanzhou said she began to get hot as the boarding process was concluding.

Flight attendants told the woman not to touch the emergency exit, but she failed to adhere to the instructions and opened the door because she wanted “a breath of fresh air.” Police were called to the scene, and the female passenger was arrested.

Woman from China opens plane emergency door, says it was too stuffy https://t.co/82jzPWJuAb pic.twitter.com/jvy2vrvf4y

— Mothership.sg (@MothershipSG) September 25, 2019

Authorities said the woman would be charged with disturbing public order and receive a fine.

As a result of the incident, the Xiamen Airlines flight was delayed by over an hour as officials had to close the door again safely and a second round of safety inspections had to be completed before the plane could depart.

Video of the incident has gone viral on social media in China, racking up over 18 million views to date.