Russian passenger tries to open plane door mid-air, fined

Russian tourist, who wanted to open the door of a Delhi-bound plane mid-air, was whisked away by the police as the flight landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The tourist was later fined by court for attempting to open the door of the plane from Moscow as it approached the Capital, scaring the passengers and sending the air crew into a tizzy.

The crew of the Aeroflot airline reportedly controlled the passenger and the pilot informed the Delhi Air Traffic Controller (ATC), requesting for police’s assistance at the airport.

As the gate opened, the passenger was greeted by the personnel of Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) and their Quick Reaction Team (QRT) whisked the passenger away.

“On May 22, duty manager of Aeroflot had made a PCR call regarding an unruly passenger on board Flight SU 232, MoscowNew Delhi. The Moscow control room of the airline was also alerted. After the flight landed at T3, the pilot handed over the passenger with Flight Disturbance Report (FDR). The report mentioned that the passenger tried to open the gate of the aircraft midair in an inebriated state and also consumed alcohol on board,” a Delhi Police official said.

The police took him to Safdarjung hospital for medical examination where the BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) level was found to be at 56.7/100ml of blood. In terms of driving, in the US or the UK, the BAC level has to be less than 80mg. In India, the permissible BAC is 30mg.

“Based on the complaint, facts and circumstances, action has been taken against the passenger as per the aircraft act,” DCP (airport) Sanjay Bhatia said.

Sources said that the passenger was produced before the court and let off after a fine of ₹50,000.

There have been several cases of unruly passengers in the recent past. In April, a passenger had to be tied down to his seat while travelling to Delhi from Dubai as he turned violent soon after the plane took off from Dubai.

A day before this, an Air India air hostess had filed a complaint of misbehaviour by a passenger on a flight coming from Muscat.