IndiGo passenger arrested for trying to open emergency exit mid-air
What's the story
A 30-year-old Kanpur man has been arrested for reportedly attempting to open the emergency exit door mid-air on IndiGo's Bengaluru-bound flight from Delhi, the police revealed on Saturday. According to the news agency PTI, a police official also said that the passenger was allegedly in an intoxicated state and was seated in 18F on flight number 6E-308 of IndiGo on Friday.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The incident comes to light at a time when the Indian aviation sector is already in the news for a series of onboard incidents involving unruly fliers. Most recently, a foreign national was apprehended by the Mumbai Police for allegedly molesting a female flight crew member onboard IndiGo's Bangkok to Mumbai flight last month.
Details
Details on accused drunk passenger
Identified as Prateek from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, the accused passenger was reportedly handed over to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials after the IndiGo flight landed in Karnataka's capital. Furthermore, a first information report (FIR) has also been registered against the drunk passenger under Sections 290 and 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 11(A) of the Aircraft Act.
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IndiGo's statement after latest mid-flight incident
Confirming the development, the airline, in a statement, said, "A passenger traveling on flight 6E 308 from Delhi to Bengaluru tried opening the flap of the emergency exit in an inebriated state." "On noticing this violence, the crew on board alerted the captain and the passenger was appropriately cautioned. There was no compromise on the safe operation of the said flight," added IndiGo.
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Passenger arrested for reportedly molesting crew member on IndiGo flight
In a previous mid-air incident involving a drunk flier, a Swedish man was arrested last month for allegedly molesting a female cabin crew member onboard IndiGo's Bangkok-Mumbai flight. The accused was handed over to the Mumbai Police by the airline staff after the flight landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, reported ANI.
Further information
Here's what happened on IndiGo's Bangkok-Mumbai flight
Identified as Klas Erik Herald Jonasm, the accused Swedish man was allegedly drunk when he molested the flight attendant on the IndiGo's 6E-1052 flight. According to the airline's complaint, Jonasm touched the crew member inappropriately while paying for the food he bought on the flight. Speaking about the incident, IndiGo also assured that necessary protocols were followed in the matter.
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Similar incident involving IndiGo
In January this year, another similar incident happened where the Mumbai Airport Police booked a passenger onboard IndiGo's Nagpur to Mumbai flight for trying to open the aircraft's emergency door. According to multiple reports, the accused tried to open the emergency door just before the flight was about to land in Mumbai.