Man Who Opened Asiana Plane Door Mid-Air Felt `Suffocated`, Wanted To Get Off Quickly

The Asiana Airlines plane with 194 people aboard was heading to the southeastern city of Daegu from the southern island of Jeju.

A passenger travelling on an Asiana Airlines flight opened the emergency exit door of the plane just before landing at Daegu International Airport, 237 km southeast of Seoul. Although the plane landed safely, several passengers reported breathing problems and were admitted to a local hospital. The man was later arrested and told police that he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the aircraft quickly, reported IANS quoting police officials on Saturday. Police plan to request for an arrest warrant for the man for allegedly violating the aviation security law after additional questioning.

As seen in videos shot by other passengers on the flight, a left door of the Airbus A321 plane was removed causing a wind blast inside the plane. Many passengers seated near the door faced severe wind force, however, wearing a seat belt saved them from any harm. The man allegedly pulled the lever as the plane's door suddenly opened about 213 metres above ground right before it landed at Daegu International Airport. The plane was on its way to Daegu after departing from the southern holiday island of Jeju.

During questioning, the man told officials that he had been under a lot of stress after losing his job recently and that he opened the door because he wanted to get off quickly after feeling suffocated, according to police officials. None of the 194 people aboard the plane fell out or were hurt in Friday's incident, but 12 panicked passengers showed symptoms of breathing difficulty and some of them were taken to a hospital.

Some people aboard the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft tried to stop the person, who was able to partially open the door, the Transport Ministry said. The person's identity and motive weren't immediately released.

Yonhap news agency quoted other passengers as saying they suffered severe ear pain after the door opened. It said some cabin crew shouted for help from passengers to prevent the door from being opened. The passengers included teenage athletes on their way to a track and field competition.