Delhi: Man attempts to open plane door, arrested

New Delhi: A man tried to open the emergency door of an Air Asia flight from Delhi to Ranchi minutes before landing, endangering the lives of passengers. The passenger, identified as Aftab Ahmed, made this life-threatening attempt at 9.50pm on Monday. He also allegedly injured a few passengers and crewmembers when they attempted to stop him.

Ahmed, a resident of Ranchi, was handed over to the local police at Ranchi. A statement from Air Asia on the incident is awaited. 

The incident took place on Air Asia flight I5-546 (Delhi-Ranchi-Kolkata). The unruly passenger identified as Aftab Ahmed (32) tried to open the emergency door about 9.50pm on Monday. After landing at the Ranchi Airport, he was handed over to the local police,” said a CISF spokesperson. 

The aviation ministry is likely to come out with a no-fly list for unruly passengers this month.

In a similar incident on August 2014, the police and CISF were called in to the Delhi’s IGI airport after a passenger tried to open the gates of a moving flight that was about to take off. He even tried to get into the cockpit to stop the plane. However, his action forced the pilot to abort the fight, Indigo flight 6E 189, going from Delhi to Mumbai.

Earlier in August 2014, three Air India crew members were hurled abuses by a drunken passenger onboard the Melbourne flight. The accused is said to have boarded the flight from Melbourne to Delhi.