A passenger unsuccessfully attempted to open the door of a plane during a flight early Monday aboard a Jeju Air flight that was on its way to Incheon from Cebu in the Philippines, the Korea Times said in a report.
This the second such incident in less than a month after a passenger aboard an Asiana Airlines flight opened the door of the plane mid-air. However, in the latest incident no doors opened and no one was hurt.
The passenger forced open the door on the Jeju Air flight which was carrying about 180 passengers aboard. The Boeing 737 departed from Cebu at 1:49am (local time).
A separate report by CNN said the passenger was a 19-year-old Korean man who also tested positive for drugs following an investigation by the Incheon Airport police.
Jeju Air officials told the Korea Times that the passenger started acting strangely and complained that he felt a pressure on his chest. The flight crew offered to move him to a seat near the jump seats but were unable to calm him. The passenger sprang up suddenly and ran toward the exit to force the door open, the Korea Times said.
With the help of some other passengers and flight attendants, the passenger was subdued three hours before the flight landed. The officials immediately handed over the passenger to the Incheon airport police afterward, Jeju Air told the news outlet.
The Korea Times also said an apparent eyewitness posted online claiming the male passengers threatened to “open the door and get everybody killed”.
The officials thanked the crew for ensuring no damage or casualties. Earlier in May, a man opened an emergency exit door during a flight in South Korea. He faces up to 10 years in prison on a charge of violating the aviation security law.
“I wanted to get off the plane soon,” the man told the court.
The 33-year-old told investigators that he felt suffocated and tried to get off the plane quickly, according to the Associated Press. He injured at least twelve people when he opened the emergency exit door Asiana Airlines Airbus A321-200 as the plane was preparing to land in Daegu following an hour-long flight from the southern island of Jeju with 200 people on board.
The plane landed safely, with the door open.