HONG KONG — Police in Hong Kong arrested a passenger on Thursday for allegedly attempting to open the door of a plane during a flight from Boston to the Chinese territory.
The 20-year-old male suspect, a Chinese passport holder with the last name Zhang, attempted the act on a Cathay Pacific flight early Thursday and was reported to police, a Hong Kong Police Force spokesperson told NBC News by phone on Friday.
“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 in an emailed statement to NBC News.
No crew members or passengers were injured, and the flight landed safely, the airline said. “The case has been handed over to the police for investigation,” it added.
The CX811 flight landed at Hong Kong International Airport at 4:32 a.m. local time, nearly 30 minutes earlier than its estimated arrival time, according to Flightradar24.
It’s an offence for any person on board an aircraft to willfully tamper or interfere with any component, apparatus, equipment, or system of the aircraft under Hong Kong’s Aviation Security Ordinance.
In September, a Hong Kong Airlines flight to Osaka had an emergency exit accidentally opened after landing, with no injuries reported, according to public broadcaster RTHK.
