Air India crew allows passengers in cockpit

Passengers on the Air India Nagpur-Ahmedabad-Dubai flight were in for a rude shock, on Friday, when the airline crew allowed two women passengers to enter the cockpit.

The passengers, who questioned why the two women were given special treatment, lodged a complaint with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) after the flight landed at Ahmedabad.

The flight, Air India Express IX 251, took off from Nagpur at 10.30am with 79 passengers on board. “Just 15 minutes after takeoff the two women - one in her forties and her teen daughter - spoke to the airhostess and the air hostess escorted the both to the cockpit,” Kalpak Kekre, a passenger, said.     

The women stayed inside the cockpit for 10-15 minutes, which further irked the passengers. “We don’t know what happened inside the cockpit. What if it was a hijacking attempt,” one of the passengers, who did not wish to named, said. 

After the passengers raised objection on the two women going inside the cockpit, they came out. “They said that they wanted to see how a cockpit looks. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s rules nobody other than the pilots and crew is allowed to enter the cockpit,” the passenger added.

The passengers wanted to lodge a compliant with the airline and asked for a complaint book to report the incident. The crew, however, said that they did not have a complaint book, Kekre said.

The incident was confirmed by the airline. “Passengers of flight IX 251 have given a written complaint about two women being allowed to enter the cockpit. The airline is looking into the matter,” the spokesperson said.