Vietnamese passenger fined for opening aircraft emergency exit door

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Vietnam’s aviation authorities have fined a man VND15 million ($660) for opening the exit door of an aircraft and deploying its evacuation slide while it was rolling dơwn the runway on Monday.

The Vietnamese passenger was flying with Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO) from Con Dao Island to Ho Chi Minh City.

When it landed and was taxiing to its final stop, he opened the exit door near his seat, which released the evacuation slide.

A source from VASCO said it costs thousands of dollars to fold an evacuation slide back, and sometimes it needs to be sent for repairs overseas. These incidents can affect the flight schedule, the representative said.

Under Vietnam’s aviation rules, a fine of between VND10 to 20 million ($474-948) can be imposed for unnecessarily opening an emergency exit on an aircraft.

Incidents of passengers attempting to open and opening emergency exit doors are reported quite frequently in Vietnam. Some people mistake them for the restroom.

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