Passengers onboard a British Airways flight to Lagos were delayed for four hours after a flight attended, who was on their first shift, accidentally opened an emergency door causing the inflatable slide to deploy.
The mishap occurred shortly after BA75 pushed back from Heathrow Airport and emergency services quickly surrounded the plane thinking it was about to be evacuated, much to the embarrassment of the unnamed staffer.
Passengers were then delayed for four hours as the airline’s crew laboured to get the plane back in flying shape. Engineers arrived to lift the slide from the tarmac before it was decided a replacement would be required.
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A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER (G-VIIK) was pushing back whilst the emergency slide had opened
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After missing their take-off slot, ordering a new slide and in the process having to switch planes to complete the flight, The Sun reported it could have cost British Airways over £50,000 ($90,000).
“The aircraft returned to stand and customers disembarked normally. We apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused, provided them with refreshment vouchers and arranged a replacement aircraft so that they could continue their journey as planned,” a BA spokesperson said.
The mortified staff member has reportedly been stood down by irate BA bosses and sent back to training.
Featured Image: British Airways flight attendant mistake (Twitter/@MZulqarnainBut1)
