The pilot was off-duty when the incident occurred.
An off-duty pilot lost his life while travelling as a passenger onboard a Qatar Airways flight flying from Delhi to Doha on Wednesday morning, a source confirmed to Doha News.
Due to a medical crisis involving the 51-year-old aviator, Flight QR 579 (Airbus A350, Registration A7ALM) had to make an urgent detour to Dubai when he started feeling critically ill.
Despite a swift response and medical assistance, the could not be saved.
In a report by The Times of India, sources from SpiceJet, the man’s former employer, said he was part of the airline’s inaugural journey in 2005.
“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,” the sources told The Times of India.
A colleague who had worked alongside the pilot for several years expressed deep sorrow and shock, stating, “He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him.”
Further details surrounding the incident and the pilot’s sudden death remain unknown.
Qatar Airways declined to provide a statement when contacted by Doha News.
