An Aeromexico passenger opened the plane’s escape hatch and stepped onto the wing, but fellow passengers defended him rather than condemning him.
The incident occurred while the plane was waiting on the runway before taking off from Mexico International Airport in Mexico City on Thursday, Business Insider reported. The airport said in a statement that after exiting the wing, the passenger “returned to the cabin without causing injury to the aircraft or anyone else.”
“In accordance with international security regulations, the person was handed over to the authorities,” the statement added.
Dozens of fellow travelers protect the man. 77 passengers signed a statement, photographs of which were published online.
Los pasajeros del vuelo 672 de @Aeromexico NO estamos de acuerdo con la historia que están contando, se abrió la salida de emergencia por la desesperación tras dejarnos encerrados por casi 4 horas sin ventilación y sin agua, INJUSTO lo que pretenden hacer @mx_guardia pic.twitter.com/F6fFgeAstH
— Regina (@regina_villazon) January 25, 2024
Passengers said the airline made them wait four hours for takeoff, without ventilation or water, while the flight was delayed. They added that the man who opened the emergency exit acted “for the benefit of all, with the support of all.”
“The delay and lack of ventilation created conditions that endangered the health of passengers. He saved our lives,” the passengers’ appeal reads.
Flight AM762 was scheduled to take off at 8:45 a.m. but left the airport only at 2:18 p.m., according to global flight tracking service flightradar24. According to the incident report, the flight was delayed after a maintenance alarm went off, forcing the captain to return to the parking lot.
“The passengers were unhappy, and one of them opened the emergency door and walked out onto the wing. This required the aircraft to be replaced,” the report said.