Indian pilot scheduled to fly falls unconscious at boarding gate, dies

An IndiGo pilot scheduled for a flight from Nagpur to Pune lost consciousness and collapsed at the boarding gate on Thursday, said the airline official, adding that unfortunately, he was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

"We are saddened at the passing of one of our pilots in Nagpur. 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,” said the IndiGo spokesperson.

This is the third instance of pilots experiencing sudden fatalities this week, with two of the individuals being Indian pilots.

On Wednesday, a seasoned pilot from Qatar Airways, who was a passenger on a flight from Delhi to Doha, fell seriously ill during the journey and passed away. In response to the medical crisis, the flight QR 579 was rerouted to Dubai.

Notably, this pilot had previously been associated with Alliance Air and SpiceJet.

Earlier, LATAM Airlines pilot died after collapsing in the bathroom of a Miami to Chile flight with 271 passengers aboard. Captain Ivan Andaur began feeling unwell three hours into the LATAM Airlines flight from Florida to Santiago on Aug.14.

He collapsed in the bathroom, Simple Flying reported. The flight took 30 minutes to divert to Panama City's Tocumen International Airport and first responders declared Andaur, a 25-year veteran pilot, dead when the plane landed.

"LATAM Airlines Group reports that flight LA505, which was on the Miami-Santiago route, had to land at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama due to a medical emergency for one of the three members of the command crew. When the plane landed, emergency services provided life-saving help, but the pilot sadly passed away," the airline had said in a statement.

Indo-Asian News Service