IndiGo Delhi-Pune flight delayed 4 hrs after pilot falls ill before takeoff

A Pune-bound IndiGo flight from Delhi was delayed by four-and-a-half hours after its pilot fell sick just before the takeoff on Friday.

The airline in a statement on Saturday said that it provided "appropriate" medical assistance to the pilot and arranged for an alternative crew to operate the flight, 6E2262, on July 4.

In a similar incident on Friday, an Air India commander collapsed inside the cockpit just when he was getting ready to operate the Tata Group airline's flight to Delhi from Bengaluru.

"One of our cockpit crew scheduled to operate IndiGo flight 6E 2262 from Delhi to Pune on July 4, felt unwell before take-off and the aircraft returned to bay, following the standard operating procedures (SOP)," IndiGo said in a statement.

Appropriate medical assistance was provided to the unwell crew and an alternative crew was assigned to operate the aircraft, causing a delay in the flight, it said.

IndiGo did not share specific details.

However, according to flight tracking website flightradar24.com, the IndiGo flight, which was scheduled to depart at 6 am from Delhi Airport, was delayed by 4.30 hours, and it took off for Pune at 10.27 am due to the incident.

"Additionally, the flight was further delayed due to temporary restrictions at Pune Airport," IndiGo said in the statement, justifying the over four-hour delay to its flight.