Passenger found dead on Air India flight after arrival in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: A man from Bihar who was heading back home from Saudi Arabia, was found dead in an Air India flight bound for Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCISA) Lucknow.
Identified as Aashif Daulla Ansari (53), the victim’s body was brought out from the aircraft by the airport's paramedic and sent to a private hospital located 23 km away from airport in Viraj Khand of Gomti Nagar area.

The victim hailed from Nechua Pandey Tola of Jalalpur under Gopalganj district, Bihar, which is just 2 km away from Gorakhpur district border of Uttar Pradesh.
As per the victim's boarding ticket, he boarded Air India (AI 992) from Jeddah-King Abdulaziz International on Thursday night, which arrived at Indira Gandhi International airport (IGIA) New Delhi on Friday morning at 5:31 am.
The victim then boarded AI 2485 from IGAI, which arrived at CCSIA at 8:11 am.
Speaking to TOI, Saurabh Sharma, a senior journalist, who was traveling in AI 2485 on 28D seat just a few rows away from victim, said, “The flight was about to land, when steward Mohit collecting food plates and drink-cups reached the victim’s seat for the same. The steward found that the victim was not responding and was unconscious with a fastened seat belt. The victim had not even touched the food plate as well, suggesting that he was unconscious for a long time after the flight departed from IGIA at 7.10 am.”

Saurabh further said, “Fortunately, a group of doctors were travelling in the flight who were heading to Lucknow to attend Indian National Stroke Conference 2025. Two of the doctors immediately went to check the victim, but they apparently found that he had no pulse or was breathing.”
The CCSIA spokesperson in an official statement said, “An unwell male passenger was provided first aid by the airport's medical team and was transported to a hospital in an advanced life support ambulance. However, he passed away.”
But Saurabh stated that, “We saw the arrival of the airport's medical team with stretcher only when we had exited the arrival gate of the airport terminal, which was pretty late for the medical emergency team.”
SHO Sarojini Nagar R D Prajapati informed TOI, that, “Airport operator or the airline had not informed about the ill or deceased passenger.”
It’s important to note, that on Tuesday evening, a septuagenarian woman passenger who had collapsed and died at boarding gate of airport, was taken to government run Lok Bandhu hospital (3km away from airport) in airport’s ambulance, but still Sarojini Nagar police was not informed about the victim. The airport comes under Sarojini Nagar police limits.
Later, the panchnama for septuagenarian victim was filed by Transport Nagar police.
“Airport has a tie-up with a private hospital based in Viraj Khand of Gomti Nagar to provide medical assistance. But still considering the severity, the medical team takes the decision and in Aashif’s case he was taken to that private hospital, whose medical expense would be borne by the airline,” added CCISA official.
By the time this report was filed, the airline had informed the victim's relatives about the sudden demise. “The autopsy of the victim would only be done in the presence and consent of the victim's relative,” said an official of Vibhuti Khand police station. The panchnama of Aashif would be filed by Vibhuti Khand police.