Dhaka: A passenger opened an emergency exit and jumped off an Air Arabia aircraft shortly after landing at Chennai International Airport in India, triggering a temporary runway shutdown and causing widespread flight disruptions.

Flight G9471, operated by an Airbus A320, arrived from Sharjah and touched down at approximately 03:23 on May 3. Just one minute later, while the aircraft was taxiing, the passenger deployed the emergency exit door and leaped onto the taxiway.

The aircraft was immediately halted, while airline staff alerted security personnel, who detained the passenger, identified as Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Najmudeen, 29, from Pudukkottai.

Najmudeen claimed the acts came out of mental instability, though security agencies are continuing to investigate the true motive. He was later handed over to local police.

The incident significantly disrupted operations at Chennai Airport, as the main runway (07/25) was closed immediately as a safety precaution following the incident.

British Airways Flight BA0035 from London was diverted to Bengaluru. At least five other flights — including services to Doha, Ahmedabad, and Dubai — faced delays of 35 to 40 minutes.

During the main runway closure, departing flights, including Indigo Flight 6E1061 to Bangkok and Etihad Airways Flight EY0341 to Abu Dhabi, were rerouted to the secondary runway (12/30).

The aircraft was later towed to a parking bay at 04:25, and main runway operations resumed at 04:35.

Despite the relatively swift recovery, the return leg to Sharjah, flight G9472, was delayed by over three hours, finally departing at 07:41 carrying 109 passengers.