Air India Express plane crash: Pilots laid to rest, respects pour in
New Delhi : The pilots of ill-fated Air India Express plane, which crashed at Kozikhode Airport, have been laid to rest amid pouring respect from all corners of the nation.
The mortal remains of first officer Akhilesh Kumar arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday morning, at least 300 pilots from various airlines, other staff and airport employees were in attendance to pay their last respects to the pilot.
Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe, 58, was the pilot in command for the Air India Express plane which was carrying 190 passengers on board. The plane had overshot the runway and broke into two pieces after crashing, claiming the lives of both the pilots and 16 passengers.
“His body was flown in by an IndiGo flight. It arrived at the Delhi airport at around 2.30 am and was handed over to his colleagues from Air India Express. As many as 250-300 people, mostly pilots from different airlines, all dressed in their uniforms, along with other airline staff and employees from the airport had gathered to pay their last respects to the pilot,” Hindustan Times quoted a pilot who was present in the gathering.
The pilot added, "Very moving to see the camaraderie between the pilots from across the airlines to have gathered voluntarily to bid adieu to their fellow aviator one last time."
Air India Express also said on Sunday that the mortal remains of Kumar were handed over to his family. "His remains were taken to Mathura through surface transport from Delhi with due honours. The mortal remains were duly cremated with attendance from all family members and as well as with the officials from Air India and Air India Express..," the airline said.
