KATHMANDU, Jan 3: Two passengers who opened the emergency exit door of an aircraft have been fined with Rs 100,000. The incidents took place during two separate Buddha air flights.
Buddha Air stated in a press release that the fines collected from the passengers have been donated to charitable organizations. A sum of Rs 100,000 each collected in fines was contributed to the Mahaganga Aarti–Ganga Sagar in Janakpurdham and an old-age home in Pokhara.
On Wednesday, January 1, a passenger unnecessarily opened the aircraft's emergency exit door during preparations for a flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu (Flight Number 618). Following an inspection carried out by the technical team, the flight took off for Kathmandue at 6:40 PM, causing a delay of three hours.
NAC will procure new aircrafts soon: Minister Kirati
Similarly, on October 10, a flight that departed from Kathmandu to Janakpur at 6:05 AM was diverted to Biratnagar due to bad weather in Janakpur. When weather conditions improved, the aircraft was preparing to take off from Biratnagar. However, as it was moving away from the taxiway to the runway, a passenger opened the aircraft’s emergency exit door.
After the incident, the crew returned the aircraft to the parking bay. A technical team from Kathmandu was sent to conduct an inspection, and after completing the check, the flight landed in Janakpur at 1:00 PM. This disrupted the flight operations, significantly affecting the flight schedule for the day.
Passengers who unnecessarily open the emergency exit door were handed over to airport security personnel and were fined Rs 100,000 each. They were released on the condition that they would not engage in such actions in the future.
Prior to flight, passengers receive detailed instructions from the flight crew regarding emergency exits. To maintain flight safety, these doors are to be opened only in emergency situations.
Anyone who disrupts air travel can be punished under the "Civil Aviation Act, 2015" with imprisonment ranging from one to three years, or life imprisonment depending on the nature of the offense.
Passengers who disrupt flight safety unnecessarily may face extra restrictions from the airline. The company will donate Rs 100,000, collected in penalties from passengers who wrongfully open emergency exits, to charities at the relevant destinations.
