A female passenger who ignored regulations to open an emergency plane door is facing a pricey punishment handed down from the airline.

The incident was first disclosed via social media on June 12. Xiamen Airlines confirmed the report, saying it happened after the flight crew finished the safety demonstration, but before the plane took off for Xiamen from Beijing.

After being told not to touch the emergency exit lever in non-emergency situations, the woman sitting next to the exit abruptly reached her hand over and yanked on the lever. Although one flight attendant told her to stop, the slide had already inflated and unfurled from the plane.

The woman, after being removed from the plane by police, confessed that she was just curious about what would happen if she pulled the "off-limits" lever. The price she will pay for her curiosity may be very high. In addition to a 12-day detention, the passenger may be asked to pay 100,000 RMB as compensation for deploying the slide. That figure will quadruple if the airbag inside the slide needs to be repaired, the airline added.

This is the latest case in China of a passenger disregarding safety instructions to open the emergency door. Last year, a man decided to crack open the door for some fresh air just as the plane was about to depart.