AIR ASIA: Man tries to open emergency door mid-air twice!

After attempting to open emergency exit doors on AirAsia X flight D7220, a 46-year-old Jordanian national, Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh, was arrested and charged by Australian Federal Police.

The April 5 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney departed an hour late at 10:01 and arrived at 20:43.

During the flight while seated towards the rear of the aircraft the passenger attempted to open the emergency exit door during the flight. Flight staff intervened, and moved him to the middle of the aircraft, where he reportedly again tried to prize open another emergency exit door.

This time when staff intervened, he assaulted one, as passengers came to the assistance of the crew, and restrained the passenger.

Upon the arrival of the Air Asia flight in Sydney, Alsaaydey was arrested by Australian Federal Police.

AirAsia X stated that their trained cabin crew took all necessary steps to ensure the safety of everyone on board and emphasized their zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior

Court appearance and charges over emergency door

During his court appearance on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at Parramatta Local Court, Shadi Taiseer Alsaaydeh was denied bail and remanded in custody.

His next court appearance is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, at the Downing Centre Local Court. Alsaaydeh faces two counts of endangering the safety of an aircraft and one count of assaulting cabin crew, each carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All because he tried to open the emergency door.

Why these incidents are increasing

Why is perhaps a difficult question. What we can assert is that the rates of these ‘air rage’ incidents have increased since pre-COVID-19 times.

Prior to the pandemic, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded around 100 incidents annually. That soared to 5,981 incidents in 2021! Since then, the incidence has levelled, but is still significantly higher than back in 2019.

As of June 2024, the FAA reported 915 unruly passenger incidents, 106 of which were related to intoxication. So don’t drink and fly!

Although this is a decrease compared to the peak in 2021, the numbers remain roughly double that of pre-pandemic levels.

That peak in 2021 is likely related to mask mandates. Misinformation campaigns denied the scientific truth that mask-wearing reduced the spread of COVID-19.

2PAXfly Takeout

Opening an emergency door mid-flight is basically impossible. The pressure differential between inside and outside the aircraft ensures that emergency doors will stay shut. Even if Hulk-like strength is applied, they won’t budge. However, that is not true when they are closer to or on the ground.

However, attempts by unruly passengers still cause flight cancellations, diversions and major safety concerns.

Cabin crew and airline unions report that since COVID, passenger behavior has become more unpredictable and aggressive. Increased stress, rule resistance (like masks or travel protocols), and entitlement seem to play a part.

Thank goodness we don’t see any of that kind of childish behaviour in our political leadership!