CHENNAI/NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: An emergency exit of an Indigo flight was accidentally unlocked by a passenger last month while the aircraft was on the ground, delaying it for over two hours. The incident on Flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli and was reported to the aviation regulator, DGCA, Indigo Airlines revealed in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement came after allegations that the passenger in question was Tejasvi Surya, first-time MP from Bengaluru South and national president of the BJP Yuva Morcha. There was no word from Surya about the incident. The airline did not reveal the identity of the passenger, but went on to add that the flier apologised for the error.
The ATR 72-600 aircraft was scheduled to take off at 10.05 am but was delayed by more than two hours. “The event was duly reported. It appears that by mistake the RH emergency exit got opened by a passenger while the aircraft was on ground. The crew took note and resultantly all appropriate airworthiness actions, such as reinstalling of door, pressurisation check etc., were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised,” the DGCA said.
However, the Karnataka Congress went ballistic against Surya. “Why did he apologise and go to the backseat? What disaster he wanted to create,” it asked. AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, “The BJP VIP Brats! How dare the airline complain? Is it the norm for the BJP power elite? Did it compromise passenger safety?”