The immediate lockdown in India following the pandemic across the world left hundreds of Indians stranded away from home. While they were worrying over finding a flight back home, there are some who have taken their duty to heart and flown back those who were stranded.
One such story is that of Swati Raval, who shared how she bravely flew to Rome and rescued stranded Indians, leaving behind two kids, in this Human of Bombay post.
As an Air India pilot, Swati was given the chance to pilot a flight to Rome and back and was asked to make her decision in 5 seconds. And while Swati was concerned about her 5-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter, she knew it was the right thing to say yes, putting her duty first.
The thought of those 263 Indians desperately waiting to go back home to their families made me agree. So I gathered courage and said, ‘Yes, I will pilot this flight’. I left the next day, kissing my kids goodbye.
Swati is the first woman to pilot a rescue flight in India. She recalls flying an empty plane for 8 hours in silence, making it the eeriest flight she’s even flown. But once the passengers got on board, the atmosphere completely changes as they charged the air with pure happiness and relief.
A passenger even said, ‘I never thought a flight home would mean so much’. I felt his excitement to be with his family; After all, I was heading back to mine.
Read the full post here:
Those on the frontlines are sacrificing so much just to make sure that everyone is safe amidst the pandemic. They’re doing their jobs, but are still going the extra mile. Hats off to these corona warriors.