Air Arabia plane grounded in Chennai after passenger opens emergency exit, sparks security scare

Chennai: Tension prevailed for a while when a passenger opened one of the emergency exit doors while the flight was taxiing at Chennai International Airport.

An Air Arabia flight carrying 231 passengers arrived in Chennai from Sharjah early on Sunday morning.

As the aircraft was moving along the taxiway-the designated path connecting the runway and the terminal-a young male passenger from Pudukkottai (34), who was on board, opened one of the emergency exit doors.


The pilot immediately brought the aircraft to a halt and alerted the authorities.

Responding swiftly, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, including bomb disposal experts and armed officers, rushed to the location where the aircraft had stopped.

The pilot promptly lodged a formal complaint with the authorities regarding the incident. Security personnel boarded the aircraft, arrested the passenger, and took him into custody.

Officials are questioning the passenger, and his mental condition is also under assessment.