The anxious flier shocked fellow passengers by opening the door, which activated the vehicle's automatic emergency slide, but luckily the aircraft was still on the ground when the incident took place.
Stunned members of staff on the flight between the Hangzhou and Chengdu regions of China managed to pull the man away from the exit and fix the door before taking off at the scheduled time.
advertisement
Posting an image online, one user commented: "He told the attendants he just wanted some fresh air... hope our flight won't be delayed for too long."
Passengers suggested the man should have faced sanctions for the mistake but he faced no punishment following the incident.
