A man has been charged after attempting to escape police by opening a plane’s emergency exit door during take-off at Auckland Airport. 

Police confirmed a 28-year-old man was apprehended on Thursday after jumping from the door and landing on the tarmac, injuring himself. 

He was trying to escape police custody while on the flight, police said. 

Court documents seen by RNZ say the man is accused of interfering with the aircraft on a Qatar Airways flight, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of one year of imprisonment. 

He is appearing in the Manukau District Court on Friday, charged with breaching the Civil Aviation Act. 

-RNZ