South Korea's Asiana Airlines has stopped selling tickets for some emergency exit row seats following a recent incident in which a man allegedly opened an emergency exit door midair, causing panic.
In a statement, the airlines said that the seats are number 26A on 174-seat A321s and number 31A on 195-seat models. These seats are near the centre of the plane, closest to the doors on the left-hand side of the single-aisle aircraft.
"This measure is a safety precaution and applies even if the flight is full," the statement said. The seat on the right-hand side is where flight attendants sit for takeoff and landing, CNN reported.
On Friday, A passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land Friday, the carrier told AFP, adding that the plane landed safely but several people were hospitalised.
The Airbus A321-200 carried nearly 200 passengers as it approached the runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, on a domestic flight.
When the plane was about 200 meters (650 feet) above the ground, a passenger sitting near the emergency exit "opened the door manually by touching the lever", the South Korean carrier's representative told AFP.
The unexpected opening of the door caused some passengers to have breathing difficulties, and some people were taken to a hospital after the landing, Asiana said, adding that there were no major injuries or damage.
