Air India Pilot Throws Tantrum, Refuses To Take Off Without Mother

In another odd display of airline behavior, an Air India pilot recently refused to fly a plane full of people unless his mother was allowed on board. This tantrum came despite the repeated attempts to inform the pilot that the plane was fully booked, reports Nine News.

The pilot that was responsible for flying the 122-passenger flight from Pune Airport in western India to the capital of New Delhi demanded that his mother be issued a “dummy boarding card” that would allow her to fly with her son. The Air India pilot claimed that his mother was too sick to be left alone at the airport and he refused to take off without her.

Air India normally allows their pilots and staff to reserve spots for family members when flights are not booked to capacity, according to MSN.

“When the pilot insisted on taking his mother on board, the operations and commercial departments were informed,” an airport official told the Sunday Express.

“The pilot threatened that he would not fly without his mother.”

Quickly causing a scene and a 20-minute delay in take-off, the pilot was soon granted permission to allow his mother to be seated in the cockpit where she would sit in the jump seat, a spot typically occupied by a crew member.

Air India chairman Rohit Nandan informed reporters that the situation was being investigated internally and that disciplinary action would most likely be taken.

What do you think of this pilot’s refusal to fly unless his mother was allowed to fly as well? What do you think of the decision that allowed her to fly in the cockpit?