A flight was delayed for an hour and a woman detained by police after she opened the emergency exit for "a breath of fresh air" before the flight took off in China.

The incident happened on a flight from Wuhan to Lanzhou.

Cabin crew had briefed the woman, who appeared to be in her 50s, about the rules when sitting next to the emergency exit and reminded her not to touch the button that opened the emergency exit.

However, the woman said she needed some fresh air and touched the button to open the exit when the stewardess turned around to help others, a news report said.

The woman was taken away and the flight was delayed for an hour.

Opening the emergency exit can be punishable by police detention and a fine.

In July last year, a woman who was flying for the first time mistook the emergency door for a lavatory door before her plane took off in Nanjing. The emergency slide was released and the flight was delayed for two hours. The woman was detained for 10 days.

Some passengers have paid a heavy price for releasing the emergency slide, which takes days and considerable expense to repair and reinstall. In January 2015, a man who opened an emergency door after a plane landed in Chongqing had to pay 35,000 yuan (150,000 baht) in compensation to the airline.