Air India fires three employees over incident on San Francisco-Bengaluru flight

BENGALURU: Air India has suspended three of its employees over an incident involving one of the doors failing to open after landing on a flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru, a source said.

Failure to open the door resulted in the emergency slides being activated automatically.

The captain, first officer (co-pilot) and a female cabin crew member have been suspended in connection with the incident, the source confirmed.

The incident occurred on September 15 at Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport and involved flight no. AI 176, a Boeing 777 model.

When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said, “There was an incident where one of the doors of our aircraft did not open properly after landing. The problem was immediately resolved, passengers were able to disembark and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operations. There was no damage to the jetway. Regulatory authorities have been informed as per regulations.”

The source said there was a mix-up between the three staff members on board the flight, which is why the door was not opened properly, adding that being removed from the roster does not equate to suspension.

“Every airline conducts an internal investigation. It can take between three days and significantly longer. Those involved are released from duty to allow a fair investigation. The result remains to be seen.”

A PTI A report from New Delhi said emergency slides were automatically deployed during the incident, a “serious safety breach.” Engineers were called to the scene to remove the slides, which had to be replaced before the plane could resume operations.

The return flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco was delayed because the problem had to be fixed.

Emergency or evacuation slides are located in the cabin exit doors of an aircraft and help passengers get to the ground in the event of an emergency. They are inflatable and made of durable fibers to protect them from wear and tear during the evacuation.