ICYMI: Passenger opens plane’s emergency exit cover on runway in India

A passenger reportedly opened the emergency exit handle cover on an Akasa Airlines flight at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, India.

The incident occurred on Thursday, August 7.

An emergency exit handle cover on a plane is a protective guard that stops the handle from being pulled accidentally during normal operations.

It serves as a clear visual warning that the control is only for emergencies, shields the mechanism from being bumped or damaged, and ensures the door or slide isn’t deployed by mistake, while still allowing it to be accessed quickly in a real emergency.

According to Times of India, the incident occurred at about 7:55pm when the plane was on the runway and ready to take off from Varanasi to Bengaluru.

The passenger, identified as Ajay Tiwari, then opened the cover of the emergency exit handle.

A crew member reportedly saw this and informed the pilot, who then contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC).

As a result, the plane was moved back from the runway to the apron, and Tiwari was handed over to the police.

The flight took off after a one-hour delay after security checks were completed.

The passenger, a boom lift at a cement factory, was seated at 16A, near the emergency exit. This was his first time on a flight.

During questioning, he was said to have told the police that he opened the emergency exit cover by mistake as he wanted to read how the exit works.

The police said a case was registered against him under section 125 BNS (acts endangering life or personal safety of others).