About to operate Pune flight, IndiGo pilot collapses at Nagpur boarding gate; dies

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NEW DELHI: An IndiGo pilot collapsed at a Nagpur Airport boarding gate on Thursday afternoon as he was about to board an aircraft to fly it to Pune. He was administered first aid and rushed to a hospital bit but could not be saved. This is the second death of a commercial Indian pilot in as many days. On Wednesday, an ex-SpiceJet captain currently working for Qatar Airways had died while flying as a passenger from Delhi to Doha.

Regarding Thursday’s tragedy, a senior DGCA official said: “The pilot had on Wednesday (Aug 16) operated two sectors — Trivandrum-Pune-Nagpur — early morning, between 3 am and 7 am. Thereafter he had 27 hours of rest and was scheduled to operate four sectors on Thursday with departure at 1 pm. Departure from Nagpur was to be his first sector of the day.” The pilot was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
In a statement, IndiGo said: “We are saddened at the passing of one of our pilots in Nagpur earlier today. He took unwell at Nagpur airport and was rushed to the hospital where he unfortunately passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”

On Wednesday, a senior pilot — who had operated SpiceJet’s inaugural flight in 2003 and was currently working with Qatar Airways — died while flying as a passenger from Delhi to Doha on Wednesday morning. The Qatar Airways flight, QR 579, diverted to Dubai due to the medical emergency when the pilot, 51, fell ill onboard. However, he could not be saved.
“The pilot had worked with Alliance Air and spent 17 years in SpiceJet. He had operated SpiceJet’s first flight, Delhi-Ahmedabad, on May 23, 2005. Last year he had joined Qatar Airways where he was flying the Boeing 777,” SpiceJet sources said. A long time colleague said, “He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him.”