An emergency door of IT531 was flung open and the escape chute went flying out — all while the Kingfisher flight to Port Blair on Thursday morning was still in the parking bay at Calcutta airport.

A passenger — later iden-tified as a first-time flier — “accidentally” elbowed the lever of the emergency door just as the air hostess was starting to distribute sweets.

The after-taste proved particularly bitter for 51 passengers, who were offloaded for “safety reasons”, as the emergency exit next to seat 12F was rendered non-functional.

The A-320 aircraft was scheduled to take off with 161 passengers on board. But after the emergency door fiasco on parking bay 25, the flight was delayed by over 90 minutes and it finally left with only 110 passengers on board.

Among those offloaded was Luv Kumar Jha, a second-year B.Sc student in Delhi who had “accidentally” pushed the emergency exit lever next to his seat 12F, sparking partial evacuation and offloading.

Those seated from rows 1 to 15 on the all-economy-class flight were not allowed to board again, in keeping with safety norms of the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA).

“When the lever is activated, a cartridge is punctured and the escape chute is inflated with nitrogen gas. For the emergency exit to be used again, a refill of nitrogen gas is required, which is not readily available. So, the door could not be used again on the flight,” said an airport official.

“According to DGCA norms, all passengers must escape through the emergency exits within 90 seconds. With 161 passengers on board and only three of the four emergency doors in operation, this would not have been possible. So, passengers near the faulty exit were offloaded to restore the safety ratio,” he explained.

The airline put it down as an accident involving a nervous first-time flier. Jha, originally from Bokaro, was going to Port Blair on a holiday with his family members.

“He was sitting next to an emergency door. His elbow hit the box of the emergency door but instead of seeking help from a crew member, he pulled at the lever, causing the door to open. This can only happen when the aircraft is stationery, and the doors are not locked,” said a Kingfisher official.

Jha’s ticket was promptly cancelled and the amount refunded, while the other offloaded passengers were put up at various city hotels, with the promise of being flown to Port Blair on Friday.

Rachita Ratho, 41, was not amused by her forced Calcutta halt. “This is not a joke. My husband had an important conference to attend in Port Blair. There was complete confusion on the aircraft. I think I will sue the airlines and write to Vijay Mallya,” said the Mumbai-based professor of a government law college, who was put up at Kenilworth.