Mid-taxi chaos: Passenger opens exit door, jumps from Air Arabia flight at Chennai airport

According to airport officials, the aircraft had landed safely at Chennai International Airport and exited the main runway when the incident occurred.

The plane was reportedly moving slowly on a taxiway before coming to a full halt.

“Yes, the flight was still slowly on the move as he jumped out. There was no loss of life or damage to the aircraft,” a senior airport officer told the media.

Officials clarified that the incident did not happen on the main runway.

Was the passenger unwell?

Preliminary inputs suggest the passenger may have been unwell during the journey.

Authorities said he complained of nausea and is believed to have vomited twice onboard, which may have contributed to his sudden actions.

The pilot immediately alerted ground security after the breach. Personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force responded quickly, secured the individual, and later handed him over to police for questioning.

Airport operations briefly hit

As a precaution, the main runway was reportedly shut between 03:23 am and 04:23 am, with incoming and outgoing flights shifted to the secondary runway during that time.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the serious breach of aviation safety norms.

Though the episode caused panic onboard, officials confirmed no passengers or crew were injured and the aircraft was not damaged.