A New Zealand man says he had to punch a fellow passenger to restrain him from trying to open the emergency exit of a Vietnam Airlines plane flying to Sydney on Monday night.
Auckland resident Mark Ansley and three fellow passengers resorted to brute force to restrain the 27-year-old man from Sydney, who was reportedly trying to jump out of the plane.
"I was having a really good sleep and I just heard screaming, really loud panicked screaming," Mr Ansley told TVNZ.
"And I sat bolt upright, looked down towards the first bulkhead where the exit row is, and there was a guy actually at the exit door trying to get it open."
Mr Ansley said he was scared but never thought twice about stepping in.
"A cable tie was handed to me and I couldn't get it around his hands, he was fighting too much," he said.
"That's when I decided to stun him or knock him out, which didn't work, after a couple of goes.