NEED TO KNOW
Air India confirmed a pilot was found unresponsive in his hotel room during a layover in Delhi, India
The airline captain had recently joined the airline and was on his second trip at the time of his death, according to reports
The Federation of Indian Pilots has called for a review of fatigue-management practices following the incident
A pilot who checked into a hotel for an overnight layover was later found dead in his room, according to airline officials. The death has sparked calls for an urgent review into pilot fatigue.
A spokesperson for Air India confirmed to PEOPLE that one of its employees was found dead on Friday, Sept. 11. “Air India is deeply saddened at the passing away of a cockpit crew member in Delhi,” they said in a statement. “He was on a layover rest at a hotel in Delhi where he was found unconscious … He was rushed to the hospital immediately, where he was declared dead.”
They added that the airline “is in close touch with his family and is extending all support at this time of grief.”
An Air India plane
Credit: Getty
According to reports from The Times of India and Indian Express, the pilot, later identified as Capt. Sunny Asladekar, checked into the Grand in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj neighborhood on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Police told the outlets that his brother contacted the property on Friday saying the pilot was not responding to calls. “The hotel manager went to the pilot’s room and found it locked from the inside. The room was opened with the help of a hotel master key. (He) was found lying unconscious and unresponsive,” police said, per The Times of India.
“The deceased’s post-mortem examination was conducted at Safdarjun Hospital on Saturday,” authorities added. “The final cause of death shall be ascertained after receipt of the final opinion.”
Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi
Credit: Kalyan Chakravorty/The The India Today Group via Getty
Sources told the Hindustan Times the pilot had recently moved from Air India Express to Air India a couple of months ago. The scheduled flight, from Delhi to Seoul, South Korea, was reportedly Asladekar’s second trip with India’s flag carrier.
In response to the death, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for an urgent review of fatigue-management practices, according to a Sept. 15 open letter reviewed by Forbes India.
The FIP said it is concerned about an increase in evidence of fatigue-related risks, citing six pilot deaths between November 2023 and September 2026.
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While the FIP “does not seek to establish any direct casual link between fatigue and the individual fatalities referred” in the letter, the organization is proposing the DGCA-led National Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) Oversight Programme review fixed duty time and rest limits.
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