CHENNAI: Tension prevailed briefly at Chennai International Airport on Sunday morning after a passenger opened an emergency exit door and jumped onto the tarmac while the aircraft was taxiing.
The incident involved an Air Arabia Sharjah–Chennai service, which landed in Chennai with 231 passengers on board. Airport sources said the aircraft was moving along the taxiway, when a 34-year-old passenger from Pudukkottai opened one of the emergency exits and jumped out onto the tarmac.
The pilot immediately brought the aircraft to a halt and alerted airport authorities.
Personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), including armed officers and bomb disposal experts, rushed to the spot as a precaution. Officials said any unauthorised operation of an aircraft safety mechanism is treated with utmost seriousness, prompting the rapid deployment.
Security personnel subsequently detained the passenger from the tarmac and took him into custody. The pilot has lodged a formal complaint with the authorities.
Airport officials said the passenger is being questioned to ascertain the circumstances under which he opened the exit door. His mental condition is also being assessed as part of the inquiry.