New Delhi, May 8 (IExpress) : A Jet Airways flight from Bangkok to New Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing at the Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI) airport here in the early hours of Thursday after its commander fell ill mid-air, forcing the co-pilot to take the controls.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated a probe into the incident. The co-pilot informed the Delhi ATC about the commander’s health and sought help in landing the flight at about 40 minutes prior to the scheduled landing time, when the aircraft was flying over Lucknow. The aircraft made an emergency landing post-midnight at IGI.

“The Captain of Jet Airways flight 9W-063 Bangkok-Delhi fell sick during the latter part of the flight. The first officer took over as the commander and declared an Emergency as per company and regulatory requirements,” said a spokesperson at Jet Airways. The aircraft, with 121 passengers on-board, landed safely at the Delhi Airport.

The Jet Airways spokesperson said that the first officer was assisted by another Jet Airways captain who was travelling as a passenger on the same flight. “The first officer took over as the commander and declared an emergency. This is done so that the flight is accorded high priority and preparations are made for the flight’s arrival on the ground” he informed.

The airline also said that the sick commander was looked after by a doctor who was among the passengers.