Woman, 29 Arrested After Try to Open Safety Door on Korean Air Flight

On Thursday a 26-year-old woman was arrested by South Korean airport authorities after attempting to unlock a safety door mid-flight on a Korean Air Airbus A330-300 from New York to Inchon.

The 26-year-old, allegedly tried to open the emergency door several times before being detained by flight attendants, according to Yonhap News. She was handed over to authorities upon arriving at Incheon International Airport, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

According to Korean Air flight attendants the young woman apparently began to feel anxious approximately 10 hours into the long-haul journey and later tested positive for methamphetamine.

According to police, the woman had been in New York for more than six months before flying to South Korea on the Korean Air Airbus A330-300. She had no history of mental illness.

This is the third documented instance this year of a passenger attempting to open a jet door on a South Korean airline flight. In June, a youngster high on methamphetamine attempted to unlock a plane door in mid-flight.

In May, a male passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight opened the plane’s emergency door just minutes before landing. The 30-year-old male told police he felt “uncomfortable” and “wanted to get off the plane quickly.”

His stunt exposed other passengers to strong gusts, and nine were transported to the hospital for breathing problems. According to aviation security laws, attempting to open a plane’s emergency door in mid-flight can result in a maximum of ten years in prison.

Korean Air Safety Rating Reduced

The Air Traffic Service Evaluation reduced Korean Air’s safety rating from A to B in May 2023. This reduction follows incidents such as a runway departure accident in October of last year.

Korean Air’s safety rating has been reduced from A to B as a result of the examination last year. This reduction follows incidents such as a runway departure accident in October of last year.

Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, Air Seoul, and T’way Air received the highest grades (A**) in the safety category, which focused entirely on national airlines.

Korean Air obtained a relatively poor (B*) rating. Last year, the airline’s safety rating decreased from A to B owing to accidents such as a contact accident at London Heathrow Airport in September and a runway departure accident during landing at Cebu Airport in October.