A passenger onboard a Cathay Pacific flight from Boston to Hong Kong has been taken into custody after attempting to open the emergency exit on board the Airbus A350-1000. The accused, a 20-year-old Chinese passport holder, will face charges on suspicion of violating Hong Kong’s Security Ordinance.

Following the incident, cabin crew sprang into action to attend to the passenger and checked over the emergency exit to ensure it had remained fully closed. The incident was then subsequently reported to the relevant authorities. The flight was able to continue to Hong Kong without any major interruption to its regular service.

Arrested On Arrival In Hong Kong

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Cathay Pacific operates a daily flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), with its Airbus A350-1000. The flight, which takes up to 15 hours gate to gate, saw the 20-year-old passenger attempt to open the emergency exit onboard the flight.

According to data from Flightradar24, the flight, operating as CX811, had departed from Boston on Thursday, December 11, at 00:39, nine minutes behind the scheduled departure time of 00:30. The overnight flight then headed west towards the Special Administrative Regions of China (Hong Kong), with an arrival time expected of 05:00. The plane touched down at 04:32.

When the incident occurred, crew members attended to the situation and alerted relevant authorities. The police met the passenger once the aircraft arrived at the gate, and he was arrested. Simple Flying reached out to Cathay Pacific for comment on the incident, but the airline did not immediately respond by the time this article was published.

Safety First

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Cathay Pacific shared with NBC that the safety of its customers and crew comes first and guides every decision the airline makes. CX, which is the flag carrier for Hong Kong, noted that during the incident, no passengers or crew were injured following the alleged door opening, and the flight was able to land without any major disruption.

According to the Hong Kong Aviation Security Ordinance, it is a chargeable offence if any person on board an aircraft attempts to tamper or interfere with any ‘component, apparatus, equipment or system. Cathay Pacific operates several non-stop flights from the United States to Hong Kong International Airport, including services from:

The flights to Boston are operated by the airlines Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, of which, according to ch-aviation, CX has 18 in its fleet. It is configured to carry a total of 334 passengers across three classes (46 business, 32 premium, and 256 economy class).

Related

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Opening An Emergency Exit Mid-Flight

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It’s worth noting that it’s nearly impossible to open an emergency exit when a flight is at a high altitude, as these are designed as ‘plug doors’, which result in the door needing to be pulled inward before popping out, making it physically impossible if the cabin is pressurized.

If an emergency exit were opened mid-flight, this could cause a rapid cabin depressurization, which could potentially suck out unsecured people or things. The aircraft would immediately need to drop to a lower altitude, and oxygen masks would have to be deployed to offer passengers additional oxygen.

It is likely that passengers who attempt to open an emergency exit mid-flight face arrest and potential federal charges, as this is an interference with the aircraft, flight crew, and endangerment to others. The person could be placed on a no-fly list, and potentially force the aircraft to make an emergency diversion, costing thousands of dollars.

A similar incident occurred in 2023, onboard an Asiana Airlines flight, where a passenger opened the door when the plane wasd decending. This led to widespread panic and a criminal investigation as to what occurred. The plane was able to land safely at Daegu International Airport (TAE).