Mumbai: A passenger on board a Mumbai-Chandigarh IndiGo flight opened the emergency chute of the aircraft, resulting in injury to a co-passenger.
After the airline lodged an FIR, Akshay R. Mohan was taken into custody by the police and will be produced in court on Saturday.
The incident happened in the morning when the flight was getting ready to depart, IndiGo said in a statement.
It said the passenger in seat 12C opened the emergency exit just after boarding was completed. IndiGo staff on board immediately alerted the Captain-in-Command. A co-passenger seated in 12A received bruises, it added. The captain immediately informed ground staff and instructed the team to arrange for medical assistance and other necessary action, the airline said. Simultaneously, the captain informed all 176 passengers via in-flight announcement and switched off the aircraft engine.
A senior DGCA official said they have been informed about the incident and that the passenger had deliberately opened the emergency exit door. Following the incident, the passenger was handed over to the security staff and the CISF at the airport.
A Mumbai police official said Mr. Mohan has been booked under IPC section 366 and for violation of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. “He is in custody now and will be produced before court tomorrow,” he said. IndiGo said any untoward behaviour which compromises the safety of passengers, crew or the aircraft is a serious concern, and the airline has has filed an FIR against the passenger.
