Air India flight delayed after pilot suffers medical emergency before takeoff

In a statement, an Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying, 'There was a medical emergency involving one of our pilots in the early hours of 04 July. As a result, the pilot was unable to operate the flight AI2414 from Bengaluru to Delhi, which he was rostered for, and was taken to a local hospital immediately.

The airline assured that the pilot is now in stable condition and remains under the care of medical professionals.

He is currently stable but continues to be under the supervision of doctors at the same hospital, the spokesperson added.

To minimize disruption, the airline arranged for another cockpit crew member to operate the flight.

'Consequently, AI2414 was delayed and operated by another member of our cockpit crew', the statement noted.

Air India said its immediate focus is on the well-being of the pilot and providing support to his family. 'Our immediate priority is to assist the pilot and his family to ensure his speedy recovery', the spokesperson said.

The flight, originally scheduled to depart at 03:05 am, was delayed and eventually took off at 04:52 am after another pilot was arranged. It landed in Delhi at 07:21 am, nearly 90 minutes behind the scheduled arrival time of 05:55 am, according to Flightradar24.

Earlier in the day, Air India denied allegations of coercing families of victims of the AI-171 accident into signing documents about their financial dependency on the deceased to reduce compensation payouts.

In a detailed statement, the airline called the claims "unsubstantiated and inaccurate."The controversy surfaced following reports that some of the bereaved families were being compelled to disclose financial ties to their deceased loved ones--allegedly as a prerequisite for receiving compensation.

However, the airlines clarified that the request for such information was a part of a standard process to ensure that interim compensation reached the rightful beneficiaries promptly. (ANI)