Passengers on an IndiGo flight were recently surprised to find their captain was none other than Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a BJP leader and member of parliament from Bihar. A video of Rudy’s in-flight announcement was shared online by Twitter user Meera Mohanty.
The undated video shows Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a trained pilot, welcoming passengers on board with a short introduction of the aircraft, the crew and himself. Many of the IndiGo passengers whipped out their smartphones to record the moment – a rare one indeed because as a parliamentarian, Rudy is no longer a full-time pilot. He does fly on an honorary basis with IndiGo from time to time to keep his flying license active.
In the Twitter video, Rudy began by informing IndiGo passengers they were travelling on the new Airbus A321 and went on to introduce the cabin and cockpit crew.
“A lot of friends are flying with us today. We hope the crew takes good care of you,” he said in Hindi before introducing himself. “I am your captain today. My name is Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
“I am a member of parliament from Bihar and, right now, your captain. It will be wonderful to fly you to Goa,” he said.
Footage of the in-flight announcement has been watched nearly 12,000 times on Twitter.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy is a trained pilot and the only Indian parliamentarian to fly a commercial aircraft. The MP from Saran constituency in Bihar has also served as the civil aviation minister in the past.
Prior to becoming a minister in the Narendra Modi government, was hired as a co-pilot by IndiGo on an honorary basis. “I fly to retain my licence because being a minister does not enable me to retain my licence,” he was quoted as saying by PTI in 2017.
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