A man was arrested after climbing out of a plane’s emergency exit on Thursday, airline Jetstar confirmed to Australian media.
The Airbus A320, operated by Jetstar, had just arrived in Melbourne from Sydney when the incident occurred.
“We can confirm that a passenger opened the emergency exit door after arrival into Melbourne, which automatically deployed the slide,” Jetstar said in a statement to Sky News.
“The plane was parked at the gate at time,” it added. “The passenger has been arrested by the [Australian Federal Police.]”
One TikToker, who said he was on the plane and posted a video of himself holding a ticket for the flight, shared a video talking about what happened.
“We had landed and they were just about to open up the main exit,” the TikToker, who goes by Kyle Kenneth on the platform, said in a video.
“When everyone realized what he was trying to do, everyone was like ‘Stop, what are you doing? We’re about to leave,” he added.
Flight attendants and passengers tried to pull the man back before he managed to open the exit, he said.
7News obtained a video of the man walking along the jet’s wing before being apprehended by airport staff.
Jetstar passenger arrested by federal police after opening the emergency exit upon arrival at Melbourne Airport.Jetstar flight JQ507, which departed Sydney, had arrived at a gate when the man opened the exit, sending the slide out the side of the plane.The man was said to be… pic.twitter.com/6DKKZ0fJcH
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) August 22, 2024
A spokesperson for the AFP told Business Insider that the man was assessed by ambulance officers and was transferred to hospital for further assessment.
“AFP is continuing to investigate this matter, and charges are likely to be laid at a future date,” they added.
An airport spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper: “Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response from ground crew, which meant there was no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff.”
Jetstar, the AFP, and Melbourne Airport did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside Australian working hours.
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