An Air Canada passenger sustained injuries after they opened a cabin door and plunged onto the tarmac. The incident happened on Jan. 8 when the Air Canada plane, a Boeing 777, was sitting on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport and was preparing to take-off for Dubai.
Air Canada's spokesperson said the passenger "boarded the [Boeing 777] aircraft normally". But instead of going to his seat, the unnamed male passenger opened a cabin door and fell, causing lengthy delays, reported Canadian television network Global News.
"While the aircraft was at the gate, a passenger who had boarded the aircraft normally, instead of proceeding to their seat, opened a cabin door on the opposite side of the aircraft. The passenger sustained injuries falling to the tarmac.
"We can confirm all of our approved boarding and cabin operating procedures were followed," the statement from Air Canada said.
The emergency services and the authorities were soon called to the scene. The passenger was reportedly "in a state of crisis" when the incident happened, and suffered "relatively minor injuries" after falling onto the tarmac.
A Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) spokesperson also confirmed that it was aware of the incident.
"We worked with the airline, Peel Regional Police and Peel EMS to provide support and to determine the immediate needs," the spokesperson said.
The man was eventually detained by police and transported to a local hospital to receive the necessary treatment. The Air Canada flight ACO56, which had 319 people on board, supposedly took off for Dubai from Toronto nearly six hours behind schedule due to the incident.
There have been a handful of unusual air travel news of late. Just last month, Air Canada was slapped with a steep fine of around £58,000 after a disabled passenger had to drag himself off a plane because the airline neglected to provide him with wheelchair assistance.
Meanwhile, a flight carrying Gambia's national football team was forced to make an emergency landing last week due to a dangerous dip of oxygen in the cabin, with several players passing out. Just 20 minutes into the journey, the cabin pressure and oxygen suddenly fell, which could have turned into a fatal accident.
In another incident, a United Airlines flight from Florida made an emergency landing after an open door indicator light illuminated mid-air. The episode happened on Jan. 10 after United Flight 2434, heading to Chicago, took off from Sarasota, Florida and light came on. That forced pilots to alert dispatchers and reroute the plane to the next closest airport, which was in Tampa.
