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An Air India jet lands in Lahore, Pakistan. Photo: Reuters

Air India flight diverts course as pilot is locked out of cockpit

AFP

An Air India flight to Bangalore was diverted to another city after the pilot returned from a toilet break and found the door to the cockpit jammed shut, the state-run carrier said on Tuesday.

The flight left Delhi for Bangalore on Monday but the plane had to be diverted to Bhopal in central India when the pilot realised he could not get back to the controls.

Air India said "all efforts to open the door, even from inside by the co-pilot, failed".

The co-pilot was forced to divert the flight to Bhopal where the door was repaired by ground maintenance engineers.

The airline said that during the time the door was locked, the cockpit was manned by the co-pilot as well as a trainee pilot.

"All precautions and procedures regarding safety were observed during the entire process. The incident posed no danger to the aircraft passengers and the crew," it said.

The incident is the latest in a series of safety-related issues involving the airline.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Flight diverted as pilot locked out of cockpit
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