US flight attendant accidentally deploys emergency slide; flight delayed by 90 minutes
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On October 12 (local time), an emergency evacuation slide was accidentally deployed on a passenger aircraft at Seattle Airport in the United States. The slide on a British Airways Boeing 787-10 unexpectedly inflated, leaving approximately 250 passengers stranded on board and unable to disembark as originally planned. The incident caused a delay of nearly 90 minutes to the flight's return journey to London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.
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According to a report by the British newspaper *The Sun* on October 13, the aircraft in question had already arrived at Seattle Airport. A cabin crew member allegedly made an operational error, causing the emergency evacuation slide at the front of the plane to deploy unexpectedly. Ground personnel subsequently arrived at the scene to remove the slide, allowing the jet bridge to be reconnected so that passengers could disembark as planned.
Emergency slide deploys accidentally, leaving 250 passengers stranded on board
Citing sources, *The Sun* reported that the incident occurred on a British Airways Boeing 787-10. Photos from the scene show the inflatable slide deployed beneath one of the forward aircraft doors.
Because the emergency slide obstructed the area where the boarding bridge connects to the aircraft, ground crew had to remove it before the bridge could be reattached. During this process, approximately 250 passengers were required to remain on board.
As a result, the aircraft's subsequent evening flight to London Heathrow Airport was delayed by nearly 90 minutes. British Airways later apologized to the passengers for the delay, stating: "We have apologized to our customers for the delay caused by this incident."
Citing sources, *The Sun* reported that such operational errors not only lead to flight delays but can also incur significant repair costs. The expenses for inspection, repairs, and resetting the slide in this instance are estimated at approximately £100,000 (about 887,000 RMB).
According to a previous report by *The Sun*, a similar incident occurred in September 2026 involving British Airways flight BA94, which was scheduled to fly from Montreal, Canada, to London Heathrow. A senior cabin crew member allegedly mishandled an aircraft door, causing an emergency slide at the rear of the plane to deploy and land on a ground service vehicle parked alongside the aircraft. That flight was delayed by approximately three and a half hours.