A passenger on a Nagpur-Mumbai flight was booked for allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit door while the flight was in the air ahead of landing. Based on the ANI report, the flight crew members swung into action and alerted the Captain, following which the passenger was suitably cautioned. While registering a case against the passenger, a case has been registered against the person for tampering with the emergency exit of the aircraft. Significantly, after the accident, all the passengers on board the flight were safe.
The incident reportedly took place on Indigo flight 6E-5274 just before landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. Sharing details about the incident, the airline said in a statement, “A passenger traveling on a Nagpur to Mumbai flight allegedly tried to remove the cover of the emergency exit while the aircraft was in the air and attempted to attempt landing.” The crew on board alerted the captain, and the passenger was appropriately alerted.”
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This is not the first time such an unruly passenger incident has come to the fore. A few days back, on December 10 last year, a passenger on another Indigo flight between Chennai and Tiruchirappalli opened the emergency door, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). However, as the airplane had not yet taken off, there were no negative incidents.
Later, Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia verified that the passenger was Tejashwi Surya and apologized for opening the door “by mistake”. According to officials, Mr. Surya “put his hand on the door,” opened the exit, and the flight’s arrival was delayed by more than two hours.
Over the last year, airlines have come under scrutiny, initially as a result of several mid-flight mechanical breakdowns, and more recently as a result of staff handling unruly passengers.