'Passenger said sorry...': Aviation minister on BJP MP Tejasvi Surya-IndiGo row
Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said the passenger (Tejasvi Surya) who opened the emergency exit by mistake said sorry and the flight started only after all checks were done.
Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said the emergency exit door of the IndiGo flight was opened by Tejasvi Surya by mistake. Without naming Tejasvi Surya, the minister confirmed that the passenger who by mistake opened the emergency exit door leading to a delay in the flight reported the incident himself and said sorry. “I am not to respond to what the opposition is saying.It's important to look at the facts. The door was opened by him by mistake when the flight was on the ground and after all checks, the flight was allowed to take off,” Scindia said.
The incident of the opening of the emergency gate 'by mistake' by a passenger came to light on Tuesday. IndiGo did not identify the passenger but it was revealed that the passenger was South Bengaluru MP, Tejasvi Surya. In its statement, IndiGo said the incident took place on December 10 on flight 6E 7339 between Chennai to Tiruchirapalli when the passenger accidentally opened the emergency exit while the plane was on the ground and passengers were boarding the plane. "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.
After the incident was reported, the Congress targetted the BJP MP's 'mistake' and questioned why the incident which took place on January 10 came to light almost after a week. "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?" Karnataka Congress said.
The DGCA on Tuesday confirmed that no safety was compromised and the incident was duly reported. "The crew took note and resultantly, all appropriate airworthiness action such as reinstalling of door, pressurization check etc were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised," the official added.