Co-pilot forced to land Air India plane after pilot locked out of cockpit

An Air India passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing after its pilot was locked out of his own cockpit after visiting the toilet. (AFP)

Air India says the cockpit door of one of its planes got jammed during a flight while the captain was using the toilet, forcing an unscheduled landing by the co-pilot in central India.

An airline statement says the captain couldn't return to the cockpit because the door was locked and that all efforts to open it, even from inside, failed during Tuesday's flight from New Delhi to the southern Indian city of Bangalore.

The co-pilot landed the plane at the nearest airport. The door was fixed by ground maintenance staff and the plane resumed its flight.

The airline said the incident posed no danger to the passengers.