A male passenger onboard an IndiGo flight bound for Chennai from the national capital tried to open the cover of the emergency exit door of the aircraft prior to its take-off on Tuesday night and was later handed over to the local authorities. A statement issued on Wednesday by the airline said that as per the standard operating procedure, the passenger was declared unruly by the crew and handed over to the local authorities on arrival at Chennai.
The incident happened onboard flight 6E 6341 from Delhi to Chennai. The passenger tried to open the emergency exit door cover prior to take-off. At no point was the safety of the flight compromised, the statement said, as per a PTI report.
A South Korean passenger made headlines internationally in May this year after he opened the emergency exit door of a flight mid-air. The man, in his thirties, aboard the Asiana Airlines Airbus A321 opened the door minutes before it landed in South Korea's Daegu while the passengers tried to stop him but were unsuccessful as the door eventually opened partially, the Transport Ministry said.
The plane with 194 landed at Daegu airport at about 12:40 pm (0340 BST) after departing from the island of Jeju an hour earlier.
After being apprehended, the man told the police that he opened the door because he felt “uncomfortable". He told the police that he opened the door because he "wanted to get off the plane quickly", Yonhap agency said, citing the Daegu Dongbu Police Station. He also told the police that he was stressed as he lost his job recently.
Video footage apparently taken by a person on board that was posted on social media shows some passengers’ hair being whipped by the air blowing into the cabin through the open door and atleast nine people were sent to the hospital with breathing issues who were later dismissed.
A month earlier, a 40-year-old passenger onboard a Delhi-Bengaluru IndiGo flight tried to open the emergency door flap of the aircraft in an inebriated state after which he was handed over to the CISF.