A baggage loader at the Mumbai airport fell asleep in the cargo hold of an Indigo Airlines flight bound for Abu Dhabi and was found only after the aircraft landed at its destination, an official of India’s air safety regulator said.
The incident took place Sunday on an Airbus A320 aircraft operated by Indigo as flight 6E 1835, a spokesman for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
“The worker decided to relax for a few minutes after he loaded bags into a baggage compartment of the aircraft and fell asleep,” said Arun Kumar, director general of the DGCA.
“He was hidden behind the baggage and the cargo hold was closed. He said he woke up as the aircraft took off. Staff at the Abu Dhabi airport found him after the aircraft landed,” Kumar said.
The cargo loader was taken for a medical examination and when he was found to be stable he was sent back to Mumbai as a passenger on the same aircraft.
Under investigation
The worker has been taken off the roster and the DGCA has ordered an investigation into the incident.
A spokesman for Indigo said the the matter is under investigation and requisite authorities have been informed.
