Air India condoles its pilot's death due to cardiac arrest

Nov 16, 2023

New Delhi [India], November 17 : Air India, in a statement on Thursday, expressed grief over the loss of life of one of their pilots due to cardiac arrest at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
An Air India pilot died after suffering a cardiac arrest at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on Thursday.
The emergency unfolded at the Air India office's Level 3, where CPR was administered to the captain, Himanil Kumar, by fellow staff. He was later taken to a hospital, but he could not be saved.
Air India in its statement said, "We are saddened at the passing of our colleague, Captain Himmanil Kumar, today. Captain Kumar was a Senior Commander, who visited our Operations office at T3 Delhi Airport as part of a routine procedure."
Air India further informed that Captain Himmanil Kumar showed sudden signs of discomfort at the office, and was immediately assisted by his colleagues. He was then rushed to the hospital in the airport premises, where in spite of all the efforts made by the attending doctors, he passed away.
"Captain Kumar was not on active flying duty and was undergoing conversion training to operate wide-body aircraft. The Air India team stands together in grief with Captain Kumar's family," said Air India in its statement.
As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Captain Himmanil Kumar was deemed medically fit according to their medical report, showing no signs of fatigue.
This is the third such incident in recent months where a young pilot lost his life.
In August, an IndiGo pilot collapsed at a Nagpur Airport boarding gate while preparing to board a flight to Pune. Despite receiving first aid and being promptly taken to a hospital, he could not be saved.
The day before, an ex-SpiceJet captain, now with Qatar Airways, passed away while travelling as a passenger from Delhi to Doha.