A baggage loader from fell asleep in the cargo hold of a flight and was discovered only after the aircraft landed on Sunday.
The Mumbai airport worker fell asleep in the cargo hold of an Indigo Airlines Abu Dhabi-bound flight.
The incident took place on Airbus A320 aircraft that operated as flight 6E 1835 and took off after 2.30am IST on Sunday, safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
“Post loading of baggage in aircraft, one of the loader engaged on the aircraft relaxed in baggage compartment 1 and fell asleep behind the baggage. The cargo door was closed after the hold staff marked the headcount,” Arun Kumar, director general of DGCA told The Indian Express.
The airline learnt of the worker’s presence only about two hours after take-off, it has been reported.
The worker's strange night came to an end when he touched down back in Mumbai as a passenger, on the same flight that brought him to Abu Dhabi.
This was after medical professionals gave him a once over and deemed him fit to travel, if not a bit groggy.
The DGCA said it has taken note of the incident and has initiated an investigation.
Bad news waited for the worker at home, though, as the DGCA stated that authorities had taken him off the roster.
An IndiGo spokesperson told The Independent that the company is aware of the incident and requisite authorities have been informed. “The matter is under investigation,” they said.
