'Drunk' flyer tries to open emergency door of IndiGo flight, held

In yet another incident of passengers causing havoc on airlines, a 40-year-old 'drunk' traveller has been booked for allegedly attempting to open the emergency door of an IndiGo flight, news agency ANI reported.

As per the official statement from the airlines, the incident happened on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight.

Flight 6E 308 had taken off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at around 7.56 AM on Friday.

IndiGo said, "A passenger travelling on flight 6E 308 from Delhi to Bengaluru tried opening the flap of the emergency exit in an inebriated state."

Assuring that there was no 'compromise on safety', IndiGo added that the cabin crew immediately informed the captain and warned the passenger after the 'inebriated' person violated flight rules.

After the aircraft landed in Bengaluru, the accused was handed over to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

A probe has been initiated in the matter, the report added.

Incidents of unruly behaviour on Indian airlines have been increasing in the past few months. Reportedly, six people were held in 2022 for creating a ruckus on flights. Notably, the first three months of 2023 has already seen eight arrests so far in unruly passenger incidents.

Recently, minister of state for civil aviation V K Singh had said 10 people have been put on the 'No Fly List' this year till 15 March. In 2021 and 2022, nearly 66 and 63 passengers were placed in the 'No Fly List'. According to the regulatory body DGCA's guidelines - Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) - on handling disruptive passengers onboard flights, airlines have been asked to follow a mandatory process holding travellers accountable before they are banned from flying.

Recently, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya was reported to have accidentally opened the emergency door of an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli in December, 2022. Addressing the incident, the airline operator said, "The passenger immediately apologised. As per SOPs, the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight's departure."