Bangalore South MP and BJP Yuva Morcha chief, Tejasvi Surya, has come under fire for allegedly opening the emergency exit of the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli passenger flight operated by budget airline IndiGo on December 10 as the aircraft was being readied for take-off.
Surya, was flying to Tiruchirapalli for the executive meeting of Tamil Nadu BJYM from Chennai along with state BJP chief K Annamalai, caused a delay in the flight for over two hours after a strict security check of the door by engineers. However, he was allowed to fly in the same aircraft after issuing an "apology letter".
In a statement released on Tuesday, IndiGo said that a passenger travelling on flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on December 10 accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process, when the plane was on the tarmac. Reports suggest the passenger "rested his hand on the door", unlocking the exit.
"The passenger immediately apologised for the action. As per SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight's departure," said the airline, not revealing the name of the flyer.
"The crew took note and resultantly, all appropriate airworthiness actions such as reinstalling of door, and pressurization check were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised," the DGCA official told PTI.
However, several opposition leaders have questioned how a situation of this sort was let to go off without any action and whether the DGCA and the airlines authority took any action as opening the emergency exit is a "punishable offence".