SEOUL – A South Korean court issued an arrest warrant on Sunday for a passenger who opened an Asiana Airlines plane door minutes before it landed in Daegu, South Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The man had opened the door during the flight on Friday when the plane was about 200m above the ground.
The man, who is in his thirties, was detained after the plane landed safely on the same day. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The Daegu District Court issued the warrant for him on charges of violating the Aviation Security Act, saying there was a risk he may try to flee before trial.
The warrant allows police to keep him in custody longer.
He was not charged at the hearing.
Officials gave the man’s surname as Lee but not his full name, as is usual custom.
Lee said he opened the door because he wanted to get off the plane quickly.
“I feel really sorry for the kids,” he told reporters as he was escorted to the Daegu court for a hearing on Sunday, apparently referring to students who were on board and taken to hospital with breathing issues.
They were all discharged after about two hours, a fire department official said.
Asiana Airlines said on Sunday it has stopped the sale of seats closest to the exit on the A321-200, the same model involved in Friday’s incident.
Starting on Sunday, these seats – 31A and 26A – on its 14 A321-200 jets would no longer be offered for sale, the carrier told AFP.
“As a safety precaution, this measure will apply even if the flights are full,” Asiana added.
The incident on Friday occurred as the plane was travelling from Jeju island to Daegu, about 240km south-east of the capital, Seoul.
There were nearly 200 passengers on board.
Lee said he wanted to get out of the plane because he was feeling “suffocated” inside the cabin.
He also had been under stress from being unemployed, authorities said.
A passenger captured footage of the wind rushing in through the open door, with several people shouting in shock.
A South Korean Transport Ministry official said on Friday that it was possible to open emergency exits at or near ground level because the pressure inside and outside the cabin is similar. REUTERS, AFP
