BENGALURU: Air India has taken three of its staff off duty for an incident involving the non-opening of one of the doors on its flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru after it landed, said a source.
The non-opening of the door caused the emergency slides to get activated on their own.
The Flight Captain, First Officer (Co-pilot) and a woman cabin crew member have been placed under suspension in connection with the incident, the source confirmed.
The incident took place on September 15 in Terminal 2 of the Kempegowda International Airport and involved flight No. AI 176, a Boeing 777 model.
When asked about it, an Air India spokesperson said, "There was an incident of one of the doors of our aircraft not opening appropriately after landing. The issue was promptly attended to, passengers disembarked and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operation. There was no damage to the aerobridge. Regulatory authorities have been informed as per procedure."
The source said that there was some confusion between the three employees on board the flight which resulted in the door not opened in the right manner adding that derostering does not mean suspension.
"There is generally an internal inquiry carried out by any airline. It could take anywhere from three days to a much longer period. Those involved are taken off duty to facilitate a fair inquiry. The outcome is awaited."
A PTI report from New Delhi said that emergency slides were auto-deployed during the incident which is a "serious safety violation." Engineers were called to the scene to remove the slides that had to be replaced before the aircraft could resume services.
The return flight to San Francisco from Bengaluru was delayed as the issue had to be set right.
Emergency or evacuation slides in an aircraft are available inside the cabin exit doors of an aircraft and help passengers descend to the ground in case of any emergency. They are inflatable and made of strong fibres to safeguard them from wear and tear during the evacuation process.