Volaris Deploys Another Airbus A320 After Passenger Reportedly Opens Door During Pushback In Phoenix

Earlier today, August 19, one passenger aboard a Volaris Airbus A320ceo pushing back from the gate to take off somehow managed to deploy the emergency evacuation slide. The motivation or exact details surrounding the incident are not yet clear, but the perpetrator appeared to be in police custody afterwards in Facebook posts online.

Volaris was able to remedy the situation by ferrying a replacement A320neo in to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and getting the passengers to Guadalajara’s Don Miguel Hidalgo & Costilla International (GDL), albeit behind schedule.

A Bad Day At Sky Harbor

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

The unlucky flyers aboard Volaris flight N526VL were deplaned and reboarded to N552VL after it arrived at Sky Harbor and reached Guadalajara after a six-hour delay, according to FlightAware. The actions of one passenger cost Volaris potentially as much as six digits in unnecessary operational costs and turned a quick border hop into a prolonged, nightmare-like travel experience for the 180 other passengers aboard.

N526VL was ferried to Guadalajara with no passengers aboard once it was made flyable again. These accidents are also known as inadvertent slide deployments, or ISD. More often than not, they are caused by mistakes during the “arming” of doors by flight attendants (FA) or mechanical failures than by passengers acting out. The flight path is shown below:

Photo: FlightAware

Last year a Delta Air Lines 767 experienced a particularly bizarre case when it took off and promptly lost its emergency slide as it fell off due to vibrations. The plane circled back and set down within thirty minutes of departure to address the problem. The Los Angeles Times quoted the International Air Transportation Association on the probable costs that result from accidental deployments:

“[Inadvertent slide deployment can] lead to flight cancellation and the cost for compensation, hotel accommodation, meals etc. can reach up to $200,000 for a single event.”

Out Of Control In The Cabin

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

This particular situation is less common than other cases of unruly passenger incidents, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has tracked a rise in badly behaved flyers in recent years. The summer of 2024 recorded 915 cases, including 106 due to intoxication, per the FAA. The year 2021 saw a stunning 6,000 unruly flyer reports, but 2025 is up to 1,000 reports as of August which is already on track to meet or beat 2024, which saw 2,100 reports.

The FAA can propose up to $43,658 per violation for unruly passenger cases. Individuals can face lifetime airline bans and even be placed on a no-fly list. One incident can result in multiple fines or even jail time per FAA policy. The details surrounding the Phoenix flyer remain undisclosed but given police presence in Facebook pictures, charges may well be forthcoming.

Easily Avoidable & Costly Mistakes

Photo: oasisamuel | Shutterstock

In many cases ISD is the result of a lack of crew familiarity or mechanical failure that causes the slide to be deployed. Most FAs need to be trained on multiple aircraft models and series, which all have similar but different door arming and disarming mechanisms. Confusion, distractions, or low familiarity can lead to mistakes that end with the slide popping out.

In January 2025, CNN covered an ISD by a Delta Air Lines crew that ended up canceling a flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (HNL). Interestingly, this plane was also a Boeing 767. In anecdotal evidence from Reddit, the Boeing 767 appears to have a reputation for the most ISDs on average due to the main opening lever being close to the arm/disarm lever.

IATA Code

Y4

ICAO Code

VOI

Year Founded

2005

CEO

Enrique Beltranena

Some consider this to be a major failure of basic aircrew responsibilities, as in the case of a British Airways Airbus A321 that experienced an ISD in January, as the NY Post reported. Regardless of how aircrew mistakes may be viewed, at least for the Volaris crew that day the fault fell to an unruly passenger, but that certainly didn’t help the unfortunate flyers of N526VL.