Drunk Chinese traveller sparks mid-air safety scare by trying to open door as aircraft lands
PUBLISHED : Monday, 19 January, 2015, 4:42pm
UPDATED : Monday, 19 January, 2015, 8:41pm
Andrea Chen [email protected]
Only last month a Chinese passenger opened the emergency exit on another internal flight just before take off to 'get some fresh air'. Photo: SCMP Pictures
A drunk male airline passenger sparked a new mid-air safety scare after allegedly trying to open an aircraft’s emergency exit as it prepared to land, mainland media reports.
The man, surnamed Feng, reportedly attempted to force open the door of a Hainan Airlines flight on Thursday after fighting with flight attendants and other passengers.
However, air marshals on board the aircraft stopped him opening the door, witnesses told reporters of Beijing’s Mirror newspaper.
Only last month, a Chinese passenger on board an internal Xiamen Air flight from Hangzhou to Chengdu sparked a safety scare by yanking open an emergency exit just before the plane was due to take off to "get some fresh air", Southern Metropolis Daily reported.
In the latest incident, the man had allegedly started quarrelling with other passengers shortly after the plane took off from Changsha, in Hunan Province.
Witnesses claimed the man smelt of alcohol.
As the aircraft began its descent he reportedly refused to fasten his seat belt, and then allegedly began fighting with airline staff and passengers as they tried to stop him leaving his seat.
Police detained the man soon after the aircraft landed in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.
China’s public security code states that anyone found guilty of disturbing public order on an aircraft should be detained for between five and 10 days and face a fine of up to 500 yuan (about HK$630).
On the same day, the mainland civil aviation authority vowed to increase controls on badly behaved Chinese airline passengers as part of the National Tourism Administration’s plan to set up a database that ranks unruly mainland tourists, which will be shared by mainland airlines, hotels and travel agencies.
