Pilot who operated Spicejet's first flight in 2005 dies flying Qatar Airways plane: report

The pilot fell ill during a flight and could not be saved. (Representational)

A senior pilot who operated SpiceJet's inaugural flight in 2005 and more recently serving with Qatar Airways, met an untimely demise while on board a Qatar Airways flight en route from Delhi to Doha on Wednesday morning. Flight QR 579 was forced to divert to Dubai due to a medical emergency involving the 51-year-old pilot who could not be revived.

The pilot spent 17 years at SpiceJet and had spearheaded the airline's first-ever flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad on May 23, 2005. His made a transition to Qatar Airways last year, where he had taken the helm of the Boeing 777.

A long-time colleague of the pilot, grappling with a shock of his sudden demise, said: “He was very fit and his untimely demise has come as a big shock for everyone who knew him.”

SpiceJet took its maiden flight on May 23, 2005 from Delhi to Mumbai, with a vision to offer budget-friendly travel. The airline has recently run into trouble and has been marred by frequent delays, cancellations and financial issues.

In a separate case, another pilot died after collapsing in the bathroom of a flight from Miami to Chile on Monday, August 14. Ivan Andaur, 56, was flying flight LA505 with 271 passengers aboard when he suffered a cardiac arrest, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.