Passenger opens plane door mid-air on Asiana flight

The unexpected opening of the door caused some passengers to have breathing difficulties

SEOUL (AFP) - A passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land Friday, the carrier told AFP, adding that the plane landed safely but several people were hospitalised.

The Airbus A321-200 was carrying nearly 200 passengers as it approached the runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, on a domestic flight.

When the plane was still about 200 meters (650 feet) above the ground, a passenger sitting near the emergency exit “opened the door manually by touching the lever”, the South Korean carrier’s representative told AFP.

The unexpected opening of the door caused some passengers to have breathing difficulties, and some people were taken to a hospital after the landing, Asiana said, adding that there were no major injuries or damage.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that nine people were hospitalised.

“The passenger has been taken to the police and is under questioning” to find out why they opened the door, Asiana said.

A short video of the incident was shared by Yonhap.

The footage shows wind ripping through the open door in mid-air, with fabric seat-backs and passengers’ hair flapping wildly as some shout in surprise.

Another video shared on social media showed passengers sitting in the emergency exit row next to an open door being buffeted by strong winds.

The two male passengers, who are wearing their seatbelts, can be seen wincing as the wind whips around them, while they clutch the armrests and try and turn away from the door.