NE NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, NOV 29
Air India’s regional arm Alliance Air on Saturday delayed one of its flights to Delhi from Jaipur by half an hour as it waited for some retrieved organs donated by a woman and which were to be flown to the national capital along with a team of doctors and paramedics staff, the airline said on Sunday.
The retrieved organs — two lungs, a liver, and a kidney—- were urgently needed at Delhi to save four lives, Alliance Air said.
“Alliance Air delayed its Jaipur-Delhi flight 9I 644 on November 28 by 30 minutes to wait for the arrival of retrieved organs donated by a 49-year-old woman in Jaipur to be transported to Delhi along with a team of doctors and paramedical staff,” said the release.
The organ harvesting surgery performed at a private hospital in Jaipur was a complicated one involving retrieval of lungs, kidney, and liver and hence was time taking, the airline said, adding “the retrieved organs needed to reach Delhi soon after harvesting”.
On being apprised of the situation, Air India CMD and Alliance Air CEO directed the airline’s local staff that flight should depart only when the retrieved organs for transportation have arrived, said the release.
On arriving at the airport, the retrieved organs were rushed through the security check-in by Alliance Air ground staff and the flight then took off at 2128 hours, half an hour behind from its scheduled time, with the harvested organs.
Alliance Air through safe and efficient operations and clear focus is committed to meeting the goals of the business and corporate social responsibility, said Harpreet A De Singh, Chief Executive Officer at Alliance Air.
“Collaborated efforts of Rajasthan Chief Minister’s office, State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Air India, Alliance Air, Central Industrial Security Force, and Jaipur airport authorities for this humanitarian cause helped in saving four lives,” said the release. ‘
