Mumbai: There was high-drama at the Jaigaon airport in Maharashtra on Saturday morning after the pilot of a private aircraft refused to fly deputy chief minister of the state Eknath Shinde back to Mumbai. Shinde had flown from Mumbai to Jaigaon in that aircraft earlier in the day for a visit to Muktainagar.
After completing his official tour, Shinde returned to the Jaigaon airport, only to be told by the pilot that he would not operate the aircraft.
The stunned politician – not used to such situations – waited for over 45 minutes while others tried to reason with the pilot. Ministers Girish Mahajan and Gulabrao Patil. They too tried to convince the pilot.
It turned out that the pilot had refused as he had been flying for over 12 hours straight and. He cited fatigue and health concerns, as well as regulations.
Shinde’s team then got in touch with the airline company that communicated with the pilot. The pilot finally agreed to fly. A doctor was then called to check the pilot’s health condition. The aircraft took off only after the doctor declared the pilot fit to fly.
While Shinde’s schedule was delayed, the incident has also brought to light the work pressure that pilots of airline charter companies undergo. There are restrictions on the number of hours a pilot can fly a commercial airliner.
