Passenger Attempts to Open Emergency Door on IndiGo Flight from Delhi to Pune

Incident on IndiGo Flight

Pune, Nov 3: A passenger aboard an IndiGo flight traveling from Delhi to Pune reportedly tried to open the emergency door lever shortly after takeoff, which activated an alarm on the plane, according to police reports on Tuesday.

In response to the incident, a crew member from IndiGo filed a complaint with the police. Authorities have since opened an investigation into the matter.

The individual involved has been identified as Gaurav Satyendra Rautela, a 33-year-old resident of Saswad in Pune district. He was on flight number 6E6884 and occupied seat 19D, adjacent to the emergency exit.

Senior Police Inspector Govind Pawar from the Airport Police Station stated that during initial questioning, Rautela claimed his actions were driven by curiosity and that he did not realize the lever was linked to the emergency door.

Upon touching the cover, an alarm was triggered, alerting the flight crew.

Pawar emphasized that tampering with the emergency door mechanism poses a significant risk to the safety of all passengers onboard. He noted that the alarm system is a critical component of the aircraft's safety measures, designed to notify the crew in such scenarios.

The event took place around 12:45 a.m. on Monday, shortly after the flight departed from Delhi, with the aircraft landing in Pune at approximately 2 a.m. Following the incident, crew member Omkar Vinod Kulkarni filed a complaint against Rautela.

Pawar also mentioned that a similar incident had occurred in 2024, which led to police action at that time.

Authorities have issued a notice to Rautela under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Additionally, a case has been registered against him under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Aircraft Act.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.