A Cathay Pacific passenger has been arrested after he attempted to open the plane door during a flight from Boston to Hong Kong, authorities said.
The chaos unfolded aboard flight CX811 on Wednesday, NBC News reported.
“Our cabin crew immediately attended to the situation, inspected the door to ensure it was securely closed, and reported the incident to the relevant authorities and the police,” Cathay Pacific, which is Hong Kong’s flagship airline, said.
The airline noted that no passengers or crew were injured in the mid-flight incident, and that the plane landed safely on Thursday without further issue. According to Flightradar24, it touched down at Hong Kong International Airport at 4:32 a.m. local time, nearly 30 minutes earlier than its estimated arrival time.
“The case has been handed over to the police for investigation,” it concluded. “At Cathay, the safety of our customers and crew guides every decision we make.”
The passenger involved — identified only as a 20-year-old Chinese passport holder with the last name Zhang — was arrested by Hong Kong police Thursday on suspicion of violating the Aviation Security Ordinance, authorities said. It is a charge for those who willfully tamper or interfere with any component, apparatus, equipment, or system of an aircraft.
