Akasa flight makes emergency landing for ailing passenger who later dies in hospital

Akasa air. File Pic/X

An Akasa airlines Varanasi-Mumbai flight with 172 passengers on board on Thursday made an emergency landing at the Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh after a passenger fell sick, an official said, reported the PTI.

"Akasa Air flight QP1524, flying from Varanasi to Mumbai on 15 August 2024, made a diversion and landed in Bhopal on account of a medical emergency on board. Despite the best efforts of our cabin crew and a doctor on board who provided immediate assistance, the passenger, unfortunately, passed away," the airline in a statement, according to the PTI.

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"Our thoughts are with the relatives and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We acknowledge the efforts of our cabin crew and the assisting doctor for their swift response to this emergency," the airline said, as per the PTI.

In its statement, Akasa Air said it remained committed to the safety and well-being of passengers and crew and was working on a timely recovery for the onward journey of this flight to ensure minimal disruption for the rest of the passengers.

The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control and made emergency landing at 11.40 am after a passenger faced a serious health issue, airport director Ramji Awasthi told PTI.

Awasthi had said the passenger, who was in a critical condition, was rushed to hospital.

The flight is expected to resume its journey at 5 pm after completing necessary formalities, Awasthi said, according to the news agency.

IndiGo aims to have over 1,000 women pilots in its workforce in 1 year

IndiGo aims to increase the number of women pilots in its workforce to over 1,000 in the next year as the country's largest airline steers ahead with efforts to boost diversity and inclusivity, reported the PTI.

The airline, which is expanding its fleet and network, currently, has over 800 women pilots.

Sukhjit S Pasricha, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at IndiGo, said the airline is driving inclusiveness in a big way by working in every area, including among engineering and flying staff, as per the PTI.

"In every work area, we are driving diversity and inclusivity. We have a 360-degree approach to it... we have grown by about 30 per cent in terms of women in engineering overall," he told PTI.

According to him, the airline has the highest number of women pilots, which is now at over 800.

The airline has around 14 per cent women pilots compared to the global average of 7-9 per cent women pilots in the workforce.

"We will cross the number of 1,000 women pilots in one year (by August 2025)," he said.

The airline, which operates over 2,000 flights daily, has more than 5,000 pilots at present.

On Wednesday, IndiGo inducted 77 women pilots for its Airbus and ATR planes to celebrate 77 years of the country's independence.

As of March 31, 2024, the airline had 36,860 permanent employees, including 5,038 pilots and 9,363 cabin crew. The count included 713 women pilots.
It also has employees from the LGBTQ segment.

(with PTI inputs)