A passenger on an Akasa Air flight from Varanasi to Mumbai was detained after he allegedly tried to open the aircraft's emergency exit before takeoff, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident took place aboard flight QP 1497, which was scheduled to depart for Mumbai at 6.45 pm on Monday from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.

As the aircraft was taxiing towards the runway, the passenger, Sujit Singh, a resident of Gaura Badshahpur in Jaunpur district, attempted to open the emergency exit, police said.

Following an alert from the cabin crew, the pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and brought the aircraft back to the apron.

"A passenger on flight QP 1497, scheduled to operate from Varanasi to Mumbai on November 03, 2025, attempted to open an emergency exit door cover without authorisation while the aircraft was still stationary at the parking bay. The individual was identified, and in line with standard operating protocols, was offloaded and handed over to the relevant authorities. All passengers and crew are safe," Akasa Air said in a statement.

Security personnel escorted all passengers off the plane and took Sujit Singh into custody for questioning, the police said.

"The aircraft was thoroughly inspected and cleared by our engineering team before the flight departed at 2100hrs. At Akasa Air, the safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority. We maintain a strict zero- tolerance policy towards any disruptive behaviour," the airline said.

Phoolpur Station House Officer (SHO) Praveen Kumar Singh said the passenger told investigators that he tried to open the exit "out of curiosity."

Sujit Singh has been booked, the officer said.