Compensation from emergency door incident donated to charity

KATHMANDU: A passenger on Jan 1 unintentionally opened the emergency door of a plane preparing for takeoff from Pokhara to Kathmandu (Flight number 618).

After a technical team inspection, the flight was delayed for nearly three hours and finally took off for Kathmandu at 6:40 PM.

Similarly, on Oct 10, a flight from Kathmandu to Janakpur, which took off at 6:05 AM, was diverted to Biratnagar due to bad weather in Janakpur. After the weather in Janakpur improved, the plane was ready to depart from Biratnagar.

However, as it was taxiing towards the runway, a passenger opened the emergency door.

Following the incident, the crew returned the plane to its parking bay. A technical team was sent from Kathmandu for inspection, and after a thorough check, the flight finally landed in Janakpur at 1:00 PM.

The incident disrupted the flight schedule and caused significant delays that day.

The passenger who opened the emergency door was handed over to airport security.

The passenger was required to pay compensation of Rs. 100,000, under the condition that they would not engage in such actions again in the future.

The airline’s flight attendants inform passengers about the emergency door procedures before every flight. Unless in an emergency, it is strictly prohibited to open the emergency door, as doing so disrupts flight safety.

Anyone who interferes with air travel in such a manner can face penalties under the Civil Aviation Act, 2015, including imprisonment of 1 to 3 years, or even life imprisonment depending on the severity of the offense.

Buddha Air hands over passengers who interfere with flight safety to airport security. The airline also imposes further flight restrictions on passengers who disrupt the operation of a flight.

Buddha Air announced that the compensation amount of Rs. 100,000 collected from the passenger who opened the emergency door will be donated to charitable organizations in the relevant destinations.