Vietnamese flight delayed for hours after passenger opens emergency exit

A Vietnamese flight was delayed for nearly seven hours on Thursday after a passenger on a previous flight opened an emergency exit door.

Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), a subsidiary of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, said a man on its flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao Island opened an exit door when the plane had landed and was taxiing to its parking space.

The damage required equipment to be sent from Ho Chi Minh City for repair, which delayed the return flight from the island to the city from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The aircraft is now in HCMC but will undergo further checks for several days before it is put back into service, said a source from the carrier.

Aviation authorities have fined the passenger VND15 million ($660).

Vietnam's aivation industry has been booming in recent years. The country served more than 94 million air passengers in 2017, up 16 percent from a year ago, including 13 million foreigners.