An Akasa Airlines flight from Varanasi to Bengaluru faced a delay after a passenger, Ajay Tiwari, mistakenly opened the emergency exit handle cover. The incident occurred as the flight was preparing for takeoff, prompting the pilot to return to the apron for safety checks.

VARANASI: A passenger opened the emergency exit handle cover on an Akasa Airlines flight at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi on Thursday evening. This caused the flight to return to the apron from the runway. The flight, bound for Bengaluru, took off after a one-hour delay once security checks were done. The passenger, identified as Ajay Tiwari, was handed over to Phulpur police. Around 7:55pm, when Akasa Airlines flight QP-1491 was ready to depart from Varanasi to Bengaluru when Ajay opened the cover of the emergency exit handle. A crew member saw this and informed the pilot immediately. The pilot contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC), and the plane was moved back from the runway to the apron.The flight took off after one hour after all the safety checks. Ajay, a resident of Lambhua in Sultanpur, was taken into custody by Phulpur police after a complaint from Akasa Airlines’ Delhi office.Ajay operates a boom lift at a cement factory in Karur, Tamil Nadu and was flying to Bengaluru from where he had to go to Tamil Nadu. This was his first time on a flight. Ajay was seated at 16A, near the emergency exit.During questioning Ajay told poice that he opened the emergency exit cover by mistake as he wanted to read how the emergency exit works. Phulpur SO Pravin Kumar said that a case was registered against him under section 125 BNS (acts endangering life or personal safety of others).