Jetstar passenger arrested after opening emergency exit on landing at Melbourne Airport

A Jetstar passenger who opened the emergency exit door after landing and walked out on to the wing has been slapped with an interim flying ban by Qantas.

A Jetstar Airbus A320 aircraft similar to the one involved in an incident at Melbourne Airport on Thursday. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Jetstar passenger who opened the emergency exit door after landing and walked out on the wing of an A320, has been slapped with an interim flying ban by the Qantas Group while the matter is investigated.

The man, believed to be aged in his 30s, had flown from Sydney to Melbourne on flight JQ507 which arrived into Tullamarine on time, just after 10am.

Shortly after reaching a stop, the man opened the emergency exit and walked on to the right wing, before leaping down to the tarmac.

Several ground handlers saw the passenger and tackled him as soon as he landed.

He was then taken into custody by Australian Federal Police.

It’s understood the emergency slides were deployed when the man opened the exit door but he did not use them.

Some of his incredulous fellow passengers filmed the bizarre incident from the windows, showing a man in a bright orange pullover hanging on to the right wing before dropping down on to the tarmac.

He appeared to be shouting and pointing as he was detained by Menzies employees.

An AFP spokesman said the man was arrested for alleged aggressive behaviour and breaching aircraft safety protocols on a domestic service.

“The man was assessed by ambulance officers and later transferred to hospital for further assessment, where he remains,” said the spokesman.

“AFP is continuing to investigate this matter, and charges are likely to be laid at a future date.”

A Jetstar spokeswoman confirmed the incident on flight JQ507 from Sydney.

“We can confirm that a passenger opened the emergency exit door after arrival into Melbourne, which automatically deployed the slide,” the spokeswoman said.

“The plane was parked at the gate at time. The passenger has been arrested by the AFP.”

It’s understood the man would be added to the Qantas Group’s no fly list until the investigation was completed.

The aircraft involved was being inspected for damage, with the slide to be replaced before it could be returned to service.

Episodes of passengers opening emergency exit doors unnecessarily are relatively rare, however there was an incident in South Korea last year.

A male passenger who told police he “felt suffocated and wanted to get off the plane” opened the emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it descended into Daegu, south of Seoul.

No-one on board was physically injured, due to the fact all were seated and wearing seatbelts as the A321 prepared to land.

Originally published as Jetstar passenger arrested after opening emergency exit on landing at Melbourne Airport