After ‘rare’ Air Canada plane door incidents, what airlines can do

A string of recent airplane incidents in both Canada and the United States have put aviation safety in focus, with one expert saying that airlines should start getting “serious” when faced with unruly passengers. As the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing continues to face multiple probes following a mid-air blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this month, a couple of unrelated and bizarre instances in the last two weeks on Air Canada flights involved passengers attempting to open cabin doors. On Sunday, a passenger on an Air Canada flight from London, U.K. to Toronto allegedly tried to open the aircraft doors mid-flight, according to the airline and police. No criminal charges were laid. On Jan. 8, another passenger aboard an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dubai opened a cabin door and fell to the tarmac before takeoff, injuring themselves and causing lengthy delays. Air Canada says it is continuing to investigate the incident. Such instances, which are an offence under Canadian law, are “very rare,” said John Gradek, a faculty lecturer at McGill University in the aviation management program. He said cabin doors should only be operated by flight attendants unless assistance is required by those passengers seated in the emergency exit row. Air Canada told Global News on Tuesday that the two events that took place this month were “very different and unrelated.” “In both cases, our approved safety and handling processes were correctly followed,” the airline said, adding that it constantly reviews its measures, including after incidents, as part of a continuous improvement approach.<br/>