Passenger Opens Emergency Door After Landing, Startles China “Just Wanted Some Fresh Air”
According to local media outlets on May 12 (local time), the incident occurred around 8:42 AM the previous day when China Eastern Airlines flight MU5828, which departed from Changsha, landed at Kunming Airport. As soon as the plane landed, a male passenger swung open the emergency door.
The emergency slide deployed immediately upon the door opening, but crew members quickly responded, and no other damage or injuries were reported. All passengers safely disembarked about 20 minutes later.
The passenger reportedly stated, “I saw the indicator light turn on, so I opened the door to get some fresh air.”
The passenger was detained by public security immediately following the incident and is currently being investigated regarding his motives and the full circumstances.
According to local media, damages caused by unauthorized emergency door openings can vary depending on the aircraft model but are estimated at around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan (approximately 20 to 40 million KRW).
After the incident became known, the phrase “airplane emergency door assassin” began trending in real-time on Chinese social media platform Weibo, but all related posts were soon censored and disappeared.
