Authorities say passengers in China have opened airplane emergency doors without authorisation 12 times this year during taxiing or while at a standstill, and one of the passengers has been put on trial in the country's first such legal case.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said today that the man, identified only by his family name of Piao, is standing trial on a charge of endangering public safety.
The agency says he opened an emergency door on an Asiana Airlines flight without authorisation on February 12 when the plane was taxiing, prompting the flight crew to take emergency measures to halt the flight.
With its growing middle class, China is seeing record numbers of air travelers, many of them flying for the first time.
