Summary
- South Korea adds recent regulation requiring airlines to make announcements warning against opening emergency exits during flight.
- Passenger tampering with emergency exits can withstand 10 years in prison under South Korea’s Aviation Security Act.
- Short-term preventative measures include careful screening of passengers in emergency rows and designing tamper-proof exits.
The past 12 months has seen a rise in passengers attempting to open emergency exits on flights. The incidents have prompted the South Korean government so as to add a brand new regulation to the operating guidelines for airline operators.
Under the brand new regulation, airline operators are required to make an announcement warning passengers against opening aircraft doors during flight. Based on JoongAng Every day, South Korea’s Transportation Ministry said the regulation “was included in a draft amendment of the operating guidelines for airline operators made available for public review until December 14th.” South Korean Airlines are required to make the announcement during this time.
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ICAO regulations generally require foreign airlines to adapt to the laws on the bottom. Nonetheless, the federal government has not specified if foreign airlines flying to and from South Korea could have to make the announcement too.
Based on South Korea’s Aviation Security Act, passengers who tamper with emergency exits or hinder the safety and operation of the aircraft can face a jail sentence of as much as 10 years.
A series of comparable incidents
South Korea has seen three such incidents within the last six months. The primary occurred in May when a 32-year-old succeeded in opening the emergency exit of Asiana Airlines flight OZ8124 from Jeju to Daegu. He was later sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Normally, opening the emergency exit of an aircraft in-flight must be inconceivable on account of the large pressure differential between the inside and exterior of the aircraft at cruising altitude. Nonetheless, the passenger forced the door open a number of minutes prior to landing.
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Short-term preventative measures would require airlines to screen passengers who sit within the emergency rows rigorously. Meanwhile, manufacturers could have to design tamper-proof emergency exits that won’t hinder evacuation. Until then, airlines could have to trust that passengers is not going to behave erratically.