Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed today that BJP politician Tejasvi Surya opened the emergency exit of an IndiGo plane last month “by mistake” and apologised for it, confirming an incident that that landed him in trouble.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia : BJP leader Tejasvi Surya opened emergency exit of IndiGo ‘by mistake’ and apologized
On December 10, IndiGo reported that a customer on its flight 6E 7339 (Chennai to Tiruchirapalli) at the Chennai airport unintentionally unlocked the emergency escape while the plane was on the tarmac and boarding was in progress. The passenger expressed regret, the airline reported.
Over a month after the incident, the Aviation Minister has now confirmed that the passenger was Tejasvi Surya.
Scindia apprised
“It’s important not to be circumspect. Look at the facts. The door did open by mistake, all checks were taken and only after that the plane was allowed to take off. And he also said sorry for it himself,”
Flight delayed by over two hours
According to officials, the flight was over two hours late because the plane didn’t take off for its destination of Tiruchirapalli until after rigorous engineering checks were completed. As per officials, Mr. Surya “laid his hand on the door,” enabling the exit.
Opposition leaders are asking how Mr. Surya “got away with a mere apology” and why he did not receive harsher punishment.
Indigo statement, not revealing the name of passenger:
“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,”
DGCA: Safety not compromised
According to a senior representative of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the event was properly reported and safety was not jeopardised. He said that the passenger had accidentally opened the “Right Hand emergency exit.”
DGCA official stated:
“The crew took note and resultantly, all appropriate airworthiness action such as reinstalling of door, pressurization check were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised,”
K Annamalai, the leader of the Tamil Nadu BJP, was on the plane with Tejasvi Surya. In a series of posts, opposition parties attacked the Bengaluru South MP and asked to know why IndiGo had withheld the passenger’s name.
Opposition Reaction
Karnataka Congress condemns incident
“Tejasvi Surya is an example of what will happen if children playing games are given the proprietorship. An act of children’s mischief by trying to open the emergency exit door of the plane has come to light. Why prank with the lives of passengers?”
Further Congress asked:
“What was the MP’s intention? What plans were there to create a disaster? Why was he transferred to the back seat after apologising,”
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi posts:
“Shouldn’t one take suo moto cognisance of this incident? What if this happened once the aircraft had taken off rather than when it was taxiing on the runway, should an apology suffice?”
Karnataka State Congress President D.K Shivkumar takes potshots on Twitter:
“For a safe take-off and landing, always fly with Congress.”
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