Flyer tries to open door of flight from Dabolim, held

Panaji/Vasco: In yet another instance of unruly flyers tinkering with the emergency exit, 28-year-old Vishal Shandil attempted to open the exit on a Chandigarh-bound IndiGo flight on Thursday. The incident forced the low-cost airline to ground the aircraft at Goa International Airport and shift the flyers to a different flight. There were close to 180 passengers on board the Airbus A320 aircraft.
Goa airport director S V T Dhanamjaya Rao said that the aircraft was grounded and the flight was cancelled after the incident. IndiGo accommodated the passengers on another flight. tnn
Shandil, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, was detained by Goa police after IndiGo filed a complaint at the Dabolim police station.
The private airline had started making pre-recorded announcements warning against tampering with emergency exits and other safety equipment in the flight when the incident occurred.
Shandil allegedly tampered with the cover flap of the over wing emergency exit of IndiGo flight 6E-724 and pulled the door’s control handle. Flyers brought it to the cabin crews’ notice.
IndiGo officials filed a complaint against the 28-year-old and handed him over to police.
According to the complaint, Shandil’s actions “endangered the life and personal safety” of the passengers and crew members.