An air passenger accidentally opened the emergency exit door when looking for the toilet, it has been reported.
The mistake, which happened before take off on a flight from Manchester Airport, caused a seven-hour delay and triggered the emergency chute, according to the Manchester Evening News.
A spokeswoman for Manchester Airport confirmed that last Friday night's flight to Pakistan, operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), had been delayed.
The airline was due to push back from terminal two when a female passenger reportedly opened the rear emergency door of the jet.
Some 37 passengers had to be offloaded - although not via the chute - while engineers came to the scene.
The aircraft was able to resume its journey to Pakistan seven hours later.
Reports that the aeroplane was on the runway when the incident happened are incorrect, according to officials at Manchester Airport.
PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told the Pakistan-based The Express Tribune that "there was no threat of any kind".
