Passenger removed from Indian flight after trying to charge phone in cockpit

The IndiGo plane was preparing to take off from Mumbai for Kolkata

An IndiGo Airbus A320. The unruly passenger who tried to enter the cockpit to charge his phone was released without charge. Reuters

A passenger was removed from an Indian flight after he tried to access the cockpit to charge his phone, the airline said on Wednesday.

The incident took place as an IndiGo flight was preparing to take-off from Mumbai for Kolkata on Monday.

IndiGo said "an unruly passenger tried to enter the cockpit stating that his mobile needs to be charged".

The airline said the captain ordered the passenger be removed from the aircraft for breaking security regulations.

An airport official told the Press Trust of India news agency that the man, said to be in his mid-30s, was drunk.

Police questioned and then released him without charge, the official said.

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It was the second bizarre incident involving an Indian domestic flight this week after a passenger tried to open an exit door in mid-air, apparently mistaking it for the toilet.

The man was travelling with GoAir from New Delhi to Patna on Saturday when he attempted to open the aircraft's rear exit, the airline said.

A co-passenger raised the alarm and the man was restrained by the crew.

He was handed to the authorities for questioning on arrival and later released. Indian media reports said he was a first-time flyer.

India's airline sector has seen a six-fold increase in passenger numbers over the past decade as citizens take advantage of better connections and cheap flights, with many taking to the skies for the first time.