An Air India captain suddenly fainted just moments before he was set to fly an early morning Bengaluru-Delhi service on Friday. The pilot was swiftly admitted to a hospital and is reportedly in stable condition under medical observation.
Flight AI 2414, which was scheduled to leave at 3:05 a.m. and arrive in Delhi by 5:55 a.m., eventually took off at 4:36 a.m. after a reserve crew member replaced the unwell pilot. Air India acknowledged the incident, explaining that a health emergency rendered the pilot unfit to operate the flight.
This episode follows several similar occurrences in recent months. In April, a 28-year-old Air India Express pilot died soon after landing a Srinagar-Delhi flight. Last November, a 37-year-old Air India trainee collapsed fatally at Delhi airport. Earlier, in August, an IndiGo pilot preparing to board a Nagpur-Pune flight also collapsed and was declared dead at a hospital.
These incidents have renewed focus on Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which mandate limits on pilots’ working hours and stipulate rest periods to manage fatigue. The Delhi High Court recently closed petitions from pilot associations about FDTL, after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation assured phased adoption of revised norms starting July 1.
While Air India confirmed that Phase 1 of the new regulations has begun, IndiGo stated it remains committed to regulatory compliance. Other airlines did not comment on the implementation status.