IndiGo confirmed on Tuesday that a passenger accidentally opened the emergency exit of an IndiGo plane on December 10, after a media report claimed BJP MP Tejasvi Surya opened the emergency exit of the plane.
According to The News Minute, the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha MP was made to apologise after he opened the emergency exit. This was confirmed to TNM by an eyewitness to the incident.
In a statement on Tuesday, IndiGo said a passenger travelling on flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli on December 10, 2022, accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process.
"The passenger immediately apologised for the action. As per SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), the incident was logged and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to a delay in the flight's departure," it said.
The airliner, however, did not name the passenger.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Chennai airport authorities too confirmed that the emergency exit was opened.
Quoting the eyewitness, the TNM report said the incident happened when the cabin crew was briefing about the passenger safety. The MP, who was sitting near the emergency exits, pulled the liver minutes after the passenger safety instructions were given.
Following this, the passengers were deplaned and airline authorities and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) arrived at the sport.
The action of the MP resulted in a two-hour delay of the flight. Surya was asked to give a written apology.
A second eyewitness was quoted as saying: "He (Surya) was moved from the seats near the emergency exit and was asked to sit in the back. The BJP MP was accompanied by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai.”