Passenger barges into plane’s cockpit
An allegedly drunk passenger caused a security scare on an Indian airliner after trying to barge into the cockpit to charge his cellphone. The budget carrier IndiGo was forced to “off-load” the 35-year-old intoxicated passenger and turn him over to police “on grounds of a security violation,” news reports said. The incident occurred while Flight 395 from Mumbai to Kolkata was on the ground preparing for takeoff, the Business Standard of India reported. In a statement, the airline confirmed: “While an IndiGo aircraft was on the ground, an unruly passenger tried to enter the cockpit stating that his mobile needs to be charged.” Airport police questioned the man, said to be in his mid-30s, but later released him without any charges, officials told the South China Morning Post. Earlier in the week, a passenger on board a flight from Delhi to Patna had to be restrained after he tried to open the rear door of an aircraft as it was in mid-air, The Guardian reported. As low-cost carriers expand across the subcontinent, more firsttime and novice travellers are flying, with many unaware of the standard conventions of air travel, the newspaper noted.