The Indian carrier Vistara has been forced to delay a flight that was due to leave on October 13, 2023, after the aircraft’s emergency slide accidentally deployed.
The Airbus A320 was due to fly from Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) at 8:30 am local time and land at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) one and a half hours later.
In a statement on social media Vistara informed that the flight would be delayed and was rescheduled to take-off at 1:30 pm. The airline apologized to passengers and offered them refreshments and alternative flight options.
“We confirm that flight UK874, scheduled to fly from Hyderabad to Mumbai on October 13, 2023, is delayed due to an inadvertent slide deployment,” Vistara said in a statement. “Our team is currently working on rectifying the issue as soon as possible.”
The airline said that it “deeply regretted” the delay to customer’s journey and that the incident will be investigated to avoid a repeat scenario.
It was not clear whether the emergency slide deployed within the aircraft or inside the plane’s cabin.
In June 2023, an emergency slide deployed within a Delta Airlines aircraft mid-flight from John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).