IndiGo derosters 6 crew members in connection with Delhi-Varanasi flight bomb scare incident
New Delhi, May 30: IndiGo has derostered two pilots and four cabin crew members of the Delhi-Varanasi flight that saw 176 passengers being evacuated after a bomb threat earlier this week, according to sources.
On May 28, following the bomb threat, which later turned out to be hoax, all the passengers were evacuated through emergency slides from the aircraft at the Delhi airport.
In a video clip of the evacuation that went viral on social media, a pilot was seen coming out of the aircraft through the emergency slide with a baggage. Under international norms, passengers and crew are not permitted to take their baggage at the time of evacuation as that will increase the time for evacuation.
The wet-leased aircraft was to operate the flight from the national capital to Varanasi on the morning of Tuesday (May 28).
One of the sources said the two pilots, who were from the lessor company, four IndiGo cabin crew members have been derostered.
Generally, under the wet lease arrangement, crew, insurance and other things related to the aircraft are taken care of by the lessor.
A source at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the crew have been derostered.
Specific details regarding the derostering could not be immediately ascertained.
"Safety is our prime concern and our crew acted accordingly in the best interest of our customers safety. As with all safety & security events our flight safety team will be reviewing this as well," an IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement.
The review pertains to multiple things that are being investigated by the flight safety team.
A senior commander, who has flown wide-body planes for many years, told PTI that during an emergency evacuation, passengers are not allowed to take their baggage and also footwear with heals should be avoided as they can puncture the emergency slides that are inflated.
Also, carrying the baggage will increase the time for evacuation. Under the international norms, a flight evacuation has to be completed in 90 seconds using the emergency exits.
A senior cabin crew of another carrier who was part of an emergency evacuation earlier told PTI that the basic instruction to passengers during the emergency evacuation is to leave everything behind.
Carrying baggage will not only delay the evacuation but could also puncture the inflated emergency slides. Crew members of the flight are also not permitted to carry their baggage, he said.
As per information available on website SKYbrary, aircraft manufacturers are required to demonstrate that an aircraft, in maximum density configuration, can be completely evacuated within 90 seconds using only half of the total number of emergency exits.
"Ninety seconds has been established as the maximum evacuation time because tests have shown that, in a post crash fire, conditions conducive to flashover are unlikely to occur within that time span.
"However, the experience of actual evacuations, especially unexpected ones from full aircraft where the abnormal situation occurs suddenly at or soon after landing, indicates that evacuation times usually exceed durations demonstrated for certification purposes," it said.
SKYbrary is an electronic repository of information related to flight operations, air traffic management and aviation safety in general.
#WATCH | Passengers of the IndiGo flight 6E2211 operating from Delhi to Varanasi were evacuated through the emergency door after a bomb threat was reported on the flight. All passengers are safe, flight is being inspected.
— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2024
(Viral video confirmed by Aviation authorities) https://t.co/el2q5jCatx pic.twitter.com/ahVc0MSiXz
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Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee holds roadshow in south Kolkata to end campaign
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a roadshow in south Kolkata spanning over six kilometres on Monday afternoon at the fag end of campaigning for the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly election.
The TMC chief was accompanied by party Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose and candidates Aroop Biswas and Debasish Kumar from Tollygunge and Rashbehari, respectively.
People waiting on the roadside and on rooftops and balconies waved at Banerjee as she greeted them with folded hands, walking briskly, as her party compatriots had a tough time keeping pace with her.
The chief minister is contesting from the Bhabanipur assembly seat, where she is pitted against her bete noire, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, who defeated her in the 2021 elections in Nandigram.
Banerjee was subsequently elected from Bhabanipur in a byelection.
The roadshow started at Sukanta Setu in the Jadavpur area and culminated at Gopalnagar crossing, past her Kalighat residence, with two small stopovers in between.
TMC flags, festoons, cutouts of Banerjee and banners with slogans in favour of the candidates adorned the roadsides through which the road show passed and culminated at around 5.30 pm.
A large number of TMC supporters participated in the roadshow that Banerjee conducted to end her campaign for the 2026 assembly election in West Bengal.
