Passenger mistakes exit door for toilet on PIA flight

Authorities say 37 passengers offloaded, flight delayed for seven hours following the incident

A woman, aboard a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight, sparked panic on Saturday after she mistakenly opened the emergency exit door thinking it was the toilet.

The national flag carrier's plane was on the runway at the Manchester Airport when she pressed the button, opening the emergency exit door.

Consequently, aircraft's airbag chute opened and 37 passengers had to be off-loaded from the aircraft, Express News reported.

The Islamabad-bound PK-702 flight, which was about to take-off from Manchester, was delayed for seven hours owing to the incident.

When the woman was asked why she had opened the emergency door, she said that she thought it was the toilet.

Passengers protest substandard food on national airline

Authorities say that the plane's airbag chute had opened by mistake due to lack of PIA staff the day earlier.

PIA's spokesperson Mashood Tajwar said that the incident is being probed, adding that, "The plane was parked on the runway when the airbag chute opened, so there was no threat of any kind."

Earlier on June 7, passengers aboard PIA flight PK 853 from Islamabad to Karachi were outraged when they were served stale bread and under-cooked chicken at Sehri time.

The passengers reportedly exchanged hot words with the flight crew and protested the substandard food served on the flight.