Akasa flight makes emergency landing for ailing passenger who later dies in hospital

Bhopal, Aug 15 (PTI) A Varanasi-Mumbai flight of Akasa Air with 172 passengers on board on Thursday made an emergency landing at the Raja Bhoj Airport here after a passenger fell sick, an official said.

While the passenger was declared dead after an examination by doctors, the flight left for Mumbai at around 6pm after mandatory inspection formalities were completed, an official said.

Akasa Air flight QP1492, flying from Varanasi to Mumbai on 15 August 2024, made a diversion and landed in Bhopal on account of a medical emergency on board. Despite the best efforts of our cabin crew and a doctor on board who provided immediate assistance, the passenger, unfortunately, passed away,” the airline said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with the relatives and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We acknowledge the efforts of our cabin crew and the assisting doctor for their swift response to this emergency,” the airline added.

Later in the evening, airport director Ramji Awasthi told PTI, “The flight left for Mumbai at 6pm after the aircraft maintenance engineer of the airline arrived from Ahmedabad and gave the mandatory green light for the onward journey after examination.”

Awasthi said airport authorities asked Air India to provide refreshments to the passengers during the stop over since Akasa Air does not operate from the Raja Bhoj facility.

The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control and made emergency landing at 11.40 am after a passenger faced a serious health issue, and he was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, Awasthi told PTI earlier.