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 here recently, said a source. The door that remained shut 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 derostered, the source confirmed.
The incident occurred on September 15 on Terminal 2 of the Kempegowda International Airport. The flight No. AI 176 was a Boeing 777.
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 were 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 there was some confusion among the three staffers resulting in the door not opening in the right way. He said derostering does not mean suspension. “There is generally an internal inquiry carried out by any airline. It could take three days or longer. 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.