A passenger caused panic on board a Delhi-Mumbai flight after his lit bidi triggered smoke alarms on an IndiGo Airlines flight on Wednesday.
According to the crew, the passenger lit up the bidi inside the lavatory while the plane was in descent.
Confirming the incident, a spokesperson said, “IndiGo confirms of an unruly incident reported on 6E-183 from Delhi to Mumbai on March 23, 2016. A passenger was observed smoking (due to smoke alarm detectors) inside the lavatory while the aircraft was descending.”
The crew immediately alerted the flight captain who in turn alerted ground staff of the violation. The passenger was briefed about the safety regulations and the policy prohibiting smoking on board an aircraft. Crew members also issued a warning to the passenger. Sources said the passenger claimed he was unaware of the ban as this was the first time he was flying.
After landing at the Mumbai airport, he was handed over the Airport police station.
The no-smoking ban on an aircraft is strictly followed for due to safety risks. However, there have been stray cases of passengers breaking the rule. In 2010, an Air India flight bound to Calicut from Dubai made an emergency stopover at the Mumbai airport after a passenger was caught smoking. In this case, the flight was diverted to off load the passenger as he continued to smoke despite warnings from the crew.