Mid-air medical emergency: 72-year-old passenger collapses on IndiGo flight; dies after landing at Nagpur

NAGPUR: A 72-year-old male passenger on an Indigo Airlines flight from Ghaziabad to Chennai collapsed mid-air and was declared brought dead at Nagpur after the aircraft made an emergency landing here.

The passenger, a resident of Chennai, felt uneasy in the flight and was administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on board by a doctor, who was on the flight. The pilot sought permission to make an emergency landing in Nagpur at around 5pm.


"The entire medical emergency response team at Nagpur airport along with the ambulance, was ready before the aircraft touched down. After an initial diagnosis, he was taken to KIMS-Kingsway Hospital here, where he was declared brought dead. Later, he was sent to govt medical college and hospital (GMCH) for further procedure," said Ejaz Shami, head of branding and communication at KIMS-Kingsway Hospital.

Dr Avinash Gawande, medical superintendent of GMCH, also confirmed the patient's death, who was learnt to have a history of heart ailment.

Nagpur has handled a number of emergency landings, including those due to medical reasons, on account of its central location and is the nearest airport for flights travelling from north to south or west to east. Also, Nagpur is the only international airport for a vast stretch on both north-south and east-west routes. This also makes it the best choice for international flights to make emergency landings, said sources. In 2021, a pilot of a Bangladesh plane suffered a heart attack, following which the aircraft made an emergency landing here