For Wing Commander Sanjay Mishra (retired) who is now flying with domestic airline major Indigo, it was a surreal and unforgettable experience on the eve of Air Force Day.

Notwithstanding the overall gloom amid the coronavirus pandemic, a baby boy was born on the flight 6E 122 from Delhi to Bangalore that that he was in command of. Not just that. This was the first time a baby was born on a domestic flight. “The youngster was born on Cloud Nine with the help of a doctor from Cloud Nine,” the pilot wrote after landing. The flight took off from Delhi at 5.13 p.m. yesterday. It landed in Bangalore just after 7.30 pm. And the flying time, just a little over two hours, was nothing short of a pleasant adventure.

While Indigo confirmed the news, it refrained from providing any details. A statement by the airline read, “We confirm that a baby boy was delivered prematurely on flight 6E 122 from Delhi to Bangalore. There are no further details available.” While the first hand report of the pilot said that there were two experienced doctors on the flight, one of whom was a gynecologist, sources said, adding that Indigo crew members have to mandatorily undergo birthing training. “All crew members who fly have been trained to handle deliveries of babies in case of emergencies,” said a senior executive of the airline on the condition of anonymity.

For the pilot, a trained Air Force officer, taking decisions in those two hours was not easy. “As he decided not to land mid-way in these Covid times and especially as the mother was travelling alone, it was not easy, but the Captain along with his team held fort and maintained calm. It is heartening to see how everybody collectively made this miracle happen,” said an civil aviation industry insider. Sources said that the baby was born prematurely.

“The baby is premature but both mother and the baby are doing fine. We are hoping that both the baby and the mother get back to their normal routine,” the Indigo executive added.