A passenger aboard an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru to Varanasi allegedly tried opening the cockpit door mid-air, causing a scare, on Monday. The airlines issued a statement that the person had taken a flight for the first time, and he “approached the cockpit entry area while looking for the lavatory”.
Security officials aware of the matter told HT that the passenger identified only as “Mr Mani” had “pressed the security code of the cockpit door”. This alerted the crew on board, but the passenger expressed ignorance saying he’d taken a flight for the first time. Mani and eight of his fellow passengers were taken into custody for interrogation, it is learnt. The incident took place on the Air India Express flight IX-1086
Air India Express, in its statement, said, “We reaffirm that robust safety and security protocols are in place and were not compromised. The matter was reported to the relevant authorities on landing and is currently under investigation.” The passenger was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as per protocol, it added.
This incident comes a day after an Air India flight from London to Delhi was delayed after a passenger’s boarding pass was stamped for plane entry but the crew noticed the person wasn’t onboard.
The person, not identified, never got onto the plane but wandered off to the arrivals area, the airlines said.
The plane had started backing up from the boarding area but had to return to the gate before takeoff, ending up in a two-hour delay.
