A Vietnamese passenger has been penalized for unlocking the exit door of a moving airplane without permission on Thursday.
T.D.T., occupant of the 1C seat, opened the right door on the fuselage of the OV8053 flight, operated by VASCO, traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to the Con Dao Islands, while the plane was taxiing on the tarmac after having landed at Con Son Airport of the archipelago.
The information was confirmed by a representative of the airline, who added that the passenger’s action caused harm to the safety latch.
As a result, the plane, which was scheduled for a subsequent return journey starting at 10:30 am, was not airworthy and had to lie at the airport until repair equipment was sent from Ho Chi Minh City.
The flight departing for the metropolis only took off at about 5:00 pm.
Following the door mishandling incident, the flight crew reported it to the security and the airline representative, and the passenger was referred to the local airport security for punishment, according to the VASCO spokesman.
On the same day, February 22, the Vietnamese Southern Airport Authority said the passenger was fined VND15 million (US$600).
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