Emergency landing at Kolkata airport

It doesn’t get more bizarre than this. Flights in queue for landing at Kolkata airport were put on hold while a SpiceJet flight was allowed to jump the queue and make a priority touchdown following a medical emergency. But when the plane landed, the flight captain stopped doctors waiting on the tarmac from boarding the plane to attend to the ailing passenger. Moments later, the patient walked down the disembarking ladder and stumped the doctors with his fitness.

Puzzled by the bizarre sequence of events and fearing it had been taken for a ride, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to probe the incident.

“Not only were other planes put on hold, full medical emergency procedures were rolled out. An ambulance, a doctor and paramedics were rushed to the tarmac and prepared to provide medical care immediately after the plane landed,” an airport official said.

The medical team was stunned to find the critical patient walk down the stairs without any grimace or hint of discomfiture. On examination, they found his blood pressure and pulse readings were absolutely normal.

Sensing that it could not have been a case of miraculous recovery, the airport deputy director rang up DGCA and reported the fishy incident. Sources said DGCA would probe the veracity of ailment on board the SpiceJet Delhi-Kolkata flight that led to priority landing.