A Chinese passenger eager to alight from his China Eastern flight upon arrival earlier this month caused a two-hour delay after attempting to use the emergency door for a quicker exit.

The unidentified passenger was onboard flight MU2331 from Xian, which landed at Hainan's Sanya Fenghuang International Airport on Dec. 12, according to Sohu.

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Based on passenger accounts, an inflating sound was suddenly heard in the midst of the flight crew's landing preparations.

In order "to get off the plane faster," the man had seen fit to open the emergency exit, which had subsequently, deployed the inflatable slide.

Flight attendants had tried to intercept him but it was too late as the slide had already started inflating, the Straitstimes relayed.

Later, authorities said the man had been unaware that the door was to be used only for emergencies. The passenger admitted to not paying attention during the flight safety briefing.

The MU2331, which was due for a return flight at 9:50 p.m., had been delayed nearly two hours because the emergency slide had to be replaced. The plane had left at 11:41 p.m.

Aviation experts estimate the replacement cost at about US$21,000.

The incident follows a series of Chinese-related flight episodes in recent years.

Last September, China President Xi Jinping urged citizens to conduct themselves properly while traveling abroad, CNN noted.

In 2012, a Chinese couple was forced to de-board a United flight headed to Shanghai after reportedly yelling at a flight attendant, demanding she "shut up" after the latter attempted to move their overhead luggage to accommodate the other passengers.

That same year, a Swiss flight en route to Beijing was forced to turn around following a fight between two Chinese nationals over a reclined seat.

In 2014, at least two fights involving Chinese passengers have broken out.

The Chinese National Tourism Administration condemned such incidents and labeled them as severely damaging to the Chinese people's image. 

TagsEmergency slide, Air rage, China National Tourism Administration, chinese tourism, Flight slip-ups