A string of recent airplane incidents in both Canada and the United States have put aviation safety in focus, with one expert saying that airlines should start getting “serious” when faced with unruly passengers.
As the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing continues to face multiple probes following a mid-air blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this month, a couple of unrelated and bizarre instances in the last two weeks on Air Canada flights involved passengers attempting to open cabin doors.
On Sunday, a passenger on an Air Canada flight from London, U.K. to Toronto allegedly tried to open the aircraft doors mid-flight, according to the airline and police. No criminal charges were laid.
On Jan. 8, another passenger aboard an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dubai opened a cabin door and fell to the tarmac before takeoff, injuring themselves and causing lengthy delays. Air Canada says it is continuing to investigate the incident.
Such instances, which are an offence under Canadian law, are “very rare,” said John Gradek, a faculty lecturer at McGill University in the aviation management program.
He said cabin doors should only be operated by flight attendants unless assistance is required by those passengers seated in the emergency exit row.
“As an industry, we’ve basically made it very, very clear that those (airplane) doors are not to be opened (by passengers). Stay away from those doors.”
Flight attendants are trained to watch the door and also manage passengers who may pose a safety hazard during the flight, Gradek said.
Air Canada told Global News on Tuesday that the two events that took place this month were “very different and unrelated.”
“In both cases, our approved safety and handling processes were correctly followed,” the airline said, adding that it constantly reviews its measures, including after incidents, as part of a continuous improvement approach.
What is the penalty for opening plane doors?
Interfering with the performance of the duties of any flight crew member, which includes opening and closing cabin doors, is punishable by law in Canada and could incur a hefty fine and land a person in jail.
A person who engages in any behaviour that endangers the safety or security of an aircraft in flight or of persons on board an aircraft in flight could face a maximum penalty of $100,000, a five-year prison term, or both if convicted on indictment, according to Canada’s Aeronautics Act.
Airlines can also take their own actions to penalize passengers.
“In the instance of an unauthorized attempt at opening an aircraft door, WestJet would engage police authorities to investigate and lay appropriate Criminal Code and Aeronautic Act offences as appropriate,” WestJet public relations said.
“Additionally, the WestJet Group security may also elect to issue additional travel sanctions as deemed necessary.”
The Calgary-based airline told Global News it continues to take a “zero-tolerance approach” to any disruptive or unruly behaviour that could impact the safety and security of its guests, employees and operations.
The airline industry has seen an “inordinate increase” in the number of unruly passengers in recent years, which can be “disruptive,” and airlines have been “pretty lax” in responding to most of these cases, Gradek said.
“I think the airlines have to start to get serious about diverting airplanes, and that when you have a situation where the cabin of that aircraft is under threat by a passenger, the captain, who is in charge of that aircraft, has to have the final say as to whether or not he has to bring the airplane down for an arrest or for safety reasons,” Gradek said.
“So the airlines are going to have to change their attitude.”
What are the risks?
If the plane is flying at a high altitude, it’s not easy, if not impossible, to actually open the doors because of the pressurization of the aircraft, according to Gradek.
However, if you’re on the ground, those doors are only meant to be opened or closed by the airline staff to allow for loading of catering supplies and other equipment, he added.
If the plane is flying over 1,000 or 1,200 feet, then it gets “more difficult to open” the cabin door.
Air Canada noted on background that it is not possible to open aircraft doors at high altitude as the “doors are designed to act as a plug that takes advantage of the differences in internal and external air pressure to create a secure seal.”
In May 2023, a passenger on an Asiana Airlines flight opened the emergency exit door when the plane was about 700 feet above the ground, causing air to blast inside the cabin and slightly injure 12 people.
“That’s probably as close to the limit of when you can or cannot open the door,” Gradek said.
— with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues and Ainsley Smith and The Associated Press.
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