Wife, Friends Of Indian Pilot Who Lost His Life In The Deadly Crash Were Waiting For Him For Diwali

The Indonesian plane Lion Air flight, JT610 which crashed in the sea with 189 passengers on board had an Indian pilot who sunk into the sea as well.

Bhavye Suneja, a 31-year-old Indian pilot was flying the airplane and had a party planned for his friends when he would head home for Diwali and other festivities. Suneja lost contact with the ground officials just 13 minutes after taking off from the Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

Captain Suneja hailed from New Delhi and had completed his education from Ahlcon Public School, Mayur Vihar. His passion for driving was known to many and he wouldn¡¯t allow anybody to take charge of the wheel, reported The Indian Express.

Photo: 31-year-old Indian pilot of the Indonesian carrier, Bhavye Suneja

Bhavye¡¯s Linkedin profile stated that he had been working at Lion Air since March 2011 where he flew the Boeing 737. He had been residing in Jakarta and received his pilot license from Bel Air International in 2009.

A senior official from Lion Air told TOI that Suneja had an accident-free record and they were keen to have him on board, just that he wanted a Delhi posting. He was informed that once he flies with the low-cost carrier for a year, the company might consider his posting in Delhi.

"Our deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives in the Lion Air Plane crash, off the coast of Jakarta today. Most unfortunate that Indian Pilot Bhavye Suneja who was flying JT610 also lost his life," Indian Embassy in Indonesia said in a tweet.

Our deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives in the Lion Air Plane crash, off the coast of Jakarta today. Most unfortunate that Indian Pilot Bhavye Suneja who was flying JT610 also lost his life...Embassy is in touch with Crisis Center and coordinating for all assistance. pic.twitter.com/56lbxGSoJe

¡ª India in Indonesia (@IndianEmbJkt) October 29, 2018

Suneja¡¯s wife, Garima Sethi had worn a saree for the first time for Saturday¡¯s Karva Chauth occasion, the Indian Express reported. Bhavye was supposed to be back in Delhi on November 05 and had asked his friends to get ready for a party.

The accident is the first to be reported that involves the widely-sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer's workhorse single-aisle jet. The first Boeing 737 MAX jets were introduced into service in 2017.