First COVID-19 death in aviation sector, IndiGo employee dies of infection

MUMBAI: Budget carrier IndiGo said one of its staff passed away due to coronavirus infection in Chennai.

While the airline did not provide details, a source said that the employee was an aircraft maintenance engineer and he passed away on Friday.

The engineer was in his mid-50s and had been working with the carrier since 2006. He was posted in Chennai, the source said.

"We are extremely sorry and saddened by the demise of one of our beloved employees in Chennai due to infection of COVID-19 virus," an airline spokesperson told PTI.

This is possibly the first case of death of an aviation personnel due to coronavirus infection in the country.

"This is a heart breaking moment for all of us at IndiGo and in this time of sorrow we stand with his family and request that we respect the privacy of our employee and his family," the spokesperson said.

The number of infections in the country has crossed 8,000 and more than 260 people have died.