Indigo aircraft emergency door was opened while taxiing, reports say BJP MP Tejasvi Surya did it
An Indigo aircraft, which was scheduled to fly from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli on December 10, 2022, had a mighty scare when a passenger accidentally pulled a lever near the emergency gate, which led to the emergency door being opened. The aircraft, 6E-7339, carrying 70 passengers was just about to fly when the incident happened.
While news agency ANI did not disclose the name of the individual who opened the emergency door accidentally, a passenger from the plane confirmed to a publication that the man was BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. South First mentioned that the person who pulled the lever was Surya.
However, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not named the person, and nor has Indigo mentioned that it was Tejasvi Surya.
Tejasvi Surya, on the other hand, has neither confirmed the incident nor denied it, saying that he would respond only if DGCA or Indigo put out an official statement.
DGCA, as reported by ANI, has initiated an inquiry into the incident.
What happened? According to the 33-year-old eye witness who spoke on conditions of anonymity, the small Indigo aircraft was already delayed by 40 minutes, and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai were the last to board.
The two first sat on the first-row emergency exits, to the right. The cabin crew also gave them a special briefing meant for the emergency row.
"After the briefing, the two started talking to each other and in a quick moment, Tejasvi Surya placed his hand on the lever as if holding a gripping handle of the car when it is pulled down. The emergency door got opened as the aircraft was taxiing towards the runway," the eye-witness told the publication.
On this incident, Indigo said that "it was a mistake", as someone had opened the emergency exit and the crew immediately intervened, and that due process was followed.
It is unclear whether Indigo reported the incident to the DGCA when it happened, on December 10 last year.
In the news: Indigo hit headlines last month for the viral video of a mid-air shouting match between a passenger and one of its cabin crew members. The airline said back then that they were looking into the incident.
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