Punched numbers in cockpit keypad: Youth, 7 others handed over to CISF on arrival in Varanasi

NEW DELHI: A young passenger flying Air India Express from Bengaluru to Varanasi Monday tried opening the cockpit door midair by punching in random numbers on the keypad of the door, which set off the buzzer off inside the flight deck. When asked by the cabin crew to move away from the door, sources say, “Mr Mani” claimed to be a first-time flyer who was looking for the lavatory and then went back to his seat.

The airline is treating this as unruly behaviour of the highest level (three) that covers interfering with aircraft systems and entails being put on the no fly list for a minimum of two years to a lifetime. The pilot of this flight (IX 1086) informed Varanasi air traffic control and Mani along with the eight others he was travelling as a group were handed over to the CISF on arrival. The Boeing 737 had taken off from Mumbai at 8 am and landed at its destination at 10.18 am.

Security agencies will now investigate whether it was an innocent mistake or was there an ulterior motive. A security official said the pilot had informed the ATC that “Mani (in a group of nine passengers) pressed the security code of the cockpit door, alerting the crew on board. The passenger expressed ignorance about his act, stating that he was unaware as he was a first time (flyer). The crew identified all the fellow passengers and based upon information CISF took all the passengers for interrogation and informed the local police.”

“We are aware of 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.