IndiGo flight’s pilot faints and dies at boarding gate in Nagpur

Nagpur: In a heart-wrenching incident, a pilot from IndiGo, a popular Indian airline, tragically collapsed and passed away at the Nagpur boarding gate just moments before he was scheduled to operate a flight to Pune. The unfortunate incident occurred at around 12 noon on Thursday.

The 40-year-old pilot, who was slated to fly the Nagpur-Pune route, experienced a sudden collapse while seated in the security hold area. Medical personnel swiftly transported him to KIMS-Kingsway Hospital. Despite their best efforts, the pilot’s condition did not respond to the emergency CPR administered by the hospital’s team. Tragically, he was pronounced dead upon reaching the hospital.

Initial assessments by KIMS-Kingsway Hospital suggest that the pilot’s demise was due to a “sudden cardiac arrest.” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had previously stated that the pilot had operated two flights the day before, flying from Trivandrum to Pune and then to Nagpur between 3 am and 7 am.

IndiGo, deeply saddened by the loss, released a statement expressing their condolences. The statement conveyed, “We are saddened by the passing of one of our pilots in Nagpur earlier today. He fell ill 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.”

This heart-rending incident marks the second pilot fatality within two days in India. In a separate incident, a Qatar Airways pilot, who had previously served with other Indian airlines, suffered a fatal heart attack during a flight from Delhi to Doha. He was onboard the plane as an additional crew member.

A few days ago, a pilot on a LATAM flight from Miami to Santiago, Chile, passed away during the journey. The 56-year-old pilot, Ivan Andaur, was declared deceased when the flight reached Panama City.