Chennai airport authorities briefly shut down the main runway on Sunday morning after a passenger aboard an Air Arabia flight opened the emergency exit and jumped off the aircraft shortly after landing.
The incident, which caused delays for multiple flights and one diversion, occurred around 3:23 am when Air Arabia flight G9-474, operated by an Airbus A320, landed at Chennai from Sharjah with 231 passengers on board.
As the aircraft was moving along the taxiway—the path connecting the runway and the terminal—the 29-year-old passenger, identified as Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Najmudeen from Pudukkottai, opened one of the emergency exit doors and jumped off the plane.
The pilot immediately halted the aircraft and alerted authorities. In response, the main runway was closed for safety reasons.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, including bomb disposal experts and armed officers, rushed to the scene to assess the situation. The passenger is currently being questioned, and his mental health is under evaluation. The pilot has filed a formal complaint with the authorities.
Runway operations resumed around 4:35 am, causing delays of up to 35-40 minutes for several flights. An incoming British Airways flight, BA0035 from London, was diverted to Bengaluru due to the runway closure.
“Departures like 6E-1061 to Bangkok and EY-0341 to Abu Dhabi were rerouted via Runway 12 during the closure. An arrival flight from Abu Dhabi was also handled on the secondary runway,” an official told Hindustan Times.