New Delhi: An IndiGo flight, that flew from Jammu to Delhi on Thursday, was special.
A sitting Lok Sabha MP and former Union minister was the man in charge of the flight on which a couple of current Central government ministers were travelling along with some other eminent passengers.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the pilot, made a special announcement on the plane, acknowledging their presence onboard the aircraft.
The video, posted by Northern Railway and shared by Singh on X, shows the pilot using the aircraft’s announcement system to welcome the distinguished passengers.
“We have a very special guest today traveling with us, we have the Honourable Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw… we also have Dr Jitendra Singh, also a Union minister travelling with us.. a very special welcome,” Rudy said. “It’s a privilege for me to take all of you to Delhi,” he added.
Rudy went on to mention other prominent passengers on the flight, including Chairman of the Estimates Committee Sanjay Jaiswal, MP Manoj Tiwari, Chandan Chauhan and Manish Jaiswal.
Union Ministers Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw, Dr. @DrJitendraSingh along with other MPs received a warm welcome on the flight during their travel from Jammu tawi to Delhi today. pic.twitter.com/GAldlcO3gU
— Northern Railway (@RailwayNorthern) April 30, 2026
Singh wrote: “Received a warm welcome mid-air from our dear friend and esteemed senior, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, when he was piloting the IndiGo flight from Jammu to Delhi. Moments like these reflect the warmth of camaraderie beyond public life — truly memorable.”
IndiGo also responded. “We are delighted to know that the pilot’s warm mid-air announcement made your journey even more memorable. Moments like these truly reflect the warmth and human connection that make flying special. Looking forward to welcoming you onboard again soon,” IndiGo posted on X.
The leaders had been on a parliamentary or statutory committee visit to Jammu & Kashmir. The group had travelled from Srinagar before boarding the Jammu-Delhi flight.
Rudy, a four-time MP from Bihar, is a licensed pilot. He is the only sitting parliamentarian qualified to fly a commercial aircraft A-320 and A-321.
