By Adam Woodward •
Updated: 23 Aug 2024 • 9:25 • 1 minute read
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.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Passionate about music, food and the arts. After being completely immersed in the Spanish way of life for 25 years, I now share my knowhow and experience with you.
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Almeria, Axarquia, Costa Blanca North, Costa Blanca South, Costa del Sol , Costa Calida, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
