A passenger on an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru to Varanasi on Monday tried to enter the aircraft’s cockpit, but could not gain access due to the cockpit’s passcode-controlled locking mechanism. According to sources, the passenger claimed that he was looking for the lavatory and tried opening the cockpit door by mistake.
Nonetheless, given that passenger attempted to enter the cockpit and fiddled with the entry system, the airline is likely to initiate action against the flyer, including placing him on the no-fly list, apart from legal action, it is learnt. Attempting to enter the cockpit or the flight deck is considered an extremely serious offence in terms of flight safety and security.
The passenger attempted to unlock the cockpit door by entering a passcode into the access control system, but was unsuccessful as the passcode was incorrect, as per sources, who added that the passenger along with his eight companions on the flight were handed over to security officials at the Varanasi airport. There was some speculation that the passenger had entered the correct passcode, but sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that was not the case. The cockpit access passcode is only known to the pilots and the cabin crew.
“We are aware of media reports regarding an incident on one of our flights to Varanasi, where a passenger approached the cockpit entry area while looking for the lavatory. We reaffirm that robust safety and security protocols are in place and were not compromised. The matter was reported to the relevant authorities on landing and is currently under investigation,” said an Air India Express spokesperson, without elaborating further.
Sources indicated that the airline is considering classifying the incident as a level three offence under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on “Handling of unruly passengers”, issued by the aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Level three is highest level of unruly behaviour and offences include life-threatening action, including damage to aircraft operating systems, physical violence such as choking, eye gouging, murderous assault, and attempted or actual breach of flight crew compartment. In case of Level three offences, the ban should be for a minimum of two years (without any upper limit).
Once an incident of unruly passenger behaviour is reported, it needs to be referred to an internal committee of the airline, which must include a retired district and sessions judge as chairman, a representative of a different airline, and a representative of a passengers’ association, or consumer association, or a retired officer of Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum.
Story continues below this ad
The internal committee is required to decide the matter within 30 days, along with the categorisation of the incident in one of three defined category levels. The committee shall also decide the duration for which the unruly passenger will be banned from flying. The committee’s decision shall be binding on the airline.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
