Man Opens Plane’s Door and Walks on Wing

An airplane passenger in Australia has been arrested after leaving a parked plane through an emergency exit and walking along a wing before climbing down a jet engine onto the tarmac, officials said.

On Thursday, Jetstar Flight JQ507 arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney, and while parked at a terminal gate, the passenger left the plane by the right-side exit.

When he opened the door, a slide was automatically released from the back wing of the plane to the ground. Instead of using the slide, the man, who has not been named, walked along the wing and climbed down one of the Airbus A320’s two engines, officials said.

The airport said the man was detained by aircrew and ground staff before Jetstar staff called the police.

“Melbourne Airport is proud of the exceptional response from ground crew, which meant there was no immediate danger to other passengers or airport staff,” a statement from the airport said.

Audrey Varghese, a passenger on the flight, said passengers screamed and shrieked as the man began what she described as erratic behavior shortly before he opened the hatch.

“The man was exhibiting some quite strange behavior,” Varghese told Melbourne Radio 3AW, adding, “As soon as the plane had started coming to a stop, he immediately got up and basically charged to where the emergency exit row is, and in the process was shoving people, causing a bit of commotion, [and] ripped open the emergency door.”

Speaking from the airport luggage collection area an hour after landing, Varghese said passengers had been told that the deployed slide had delayed the unloading of their luggage. Australia’s Nine News reported that the baggage was released hours later.

Another passenger, identified as Maddison, told Nine News that the man had been vaping, which is prohibited, during the 90-minute midmorning flight and had unsuccessfully demanded alcohol from the aircrew.

Social media images showed at least three ground staff restraining the passenger on the tarmac.

A police statement said he was arrested in relation to “alleged aggressive behavior and breaching aircraft safety protocols.”

The statement added that the man was checked by paramedics and taken to a hospital, where he remained for further assessment.

Police officials are continuing to investigate, and charges are likely to follow at a later date.

Melbourne Airport is the second busiest airport in Australia, after Sydney Airport. According to its website, more than 30 million people traveled through its four terminals in the 2023 fiscal year.