News about Tejasvi Surya, emergency exit and BJP Tamil News: Bharatiya Janata Party youth national leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejashwi Surya allegedly opened the emergency exit at the Chennai airport on December 10 last year before the departure of an IndiGo flight.
The airline issued a statement on Tuesday, a month after the incident, following reports in some media outlets. While reports said it was Suriya who opened the exit door, Indigo did not name anyone in its statement.
“A passenger on board flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli on December 10, 2022 accidentally opened the emergency exit during the boarding process. The passenger immediately apologized for the act. As per SOPs, the incident was registered and the aircraft underwent mandatory engineering checks, which led to the delay in take-off,” the airline said.
However, airline sources have confirmed that it was Suriya who was traveling with BJP’s Tamil Nadu president Annamalai.
The flight was scheduled to take off at 10.05 am. Surya and Annamalai were in the seats next to the emergency door. While the cabin crew was explaining the safety protocol to the passengers, Surya reportedly pulled the exit door release lever.
Thus, when the exit door was opened, the plane, which had already taken off, was immediately lowered from the sky to the ground. As per airline protocol, the passengers were disembarked and the flight departed only after a thorough inspection. The flight finally took off from Chennai airport at 12.27 pm and landed at Tiruchirappalli at 1.23 pm.
When contacted, Surya’s office said that he had gone to Delhi to attend the BJP’s National Executive Committee meeting.
According to our information, Suriya has apologized to the airline in writing. “The apology note has a set form which is filled and signed by the person after the incident,” said an airport official.
The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed the incident and called it a “mistake”. “The event has been duly announced. By mistake, the RH (right hand) emergency exit was opened by a passenger while the aircraft was on the ground. The crew took note, and as a result, all appropriate venting measures such as re-installing the door, checking pressure, etc., were carried out prior to take-off. No security has been compromised,” the regulator said.
However, sources at the Airports Authority of India office in Chennai said that the airline did not inform them about the incident. “We were not informed when the incident took place and no report was filed in this regard,” the official said.
Speaking to The Indian Express, DMK leader PD Arashakumar, who was on the flight, confirmed the flight was delayed but said he was not aware of the details. “A few minutes before take off, the flight attendant informed us that there was a technical problem and all passengers had to evacuate. We were all escorted back to the terminal as engineers and security personnel began inspecting the aircraft,” he said.
Meanwhile, on December 29, Tamil Nadu Power Minister V Senthil Balaji had tweeted about the incident. However, it is noteworthy that he posted without mentioning the name of Surya or Annamalai in his post.
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