Pilot daughter's farewell to air hostess mother on last day of job wins hearts
'It was my mom’s dream to have me pilot on her last flight as an Air Hostess with Air India,' Ashrrita wrote.
Mumbai: Air India pilot Ashrrita Chinchankar was 'happy and overwhelmed' to be able to fulfill her mother's dream and carry on her legacy. Ashrrita piloted her mother Pooja Chinchankar's last fight as an air hostess with Air India from Bengaluru to Mumbai.
Taking to Twitter, Ashrrita wrote: "So happy and honoured to be able to pilot the one flight that mattered. It was my mom’s dream to have me pilot her last flight as an Air Hostess with @airindiain :) As she retires after her glorious 38 years of service, I will be carrying on with her legacy."
While the flight was descending in Mumbai, Captain Paresh Nerurkar told passengers that the flight's senior-most air hostess, Pooja, was retiring on landing, having served AI for 38 years. He added that her legacy would be carried forward by Pooja's daughter who was with him, in the cockpit as co-pilot.
The news which surely must have melted hearts then saw Pooja walking down the aisle to the applause of the passengers and when the airbus landed, both mother-daughter duo stood on the aircraft greeting passengers as they left.
Ashrrita's tweet since being posted has garnered over 11 thousand likes and has been shared over 2,000 times. While many have commented to say how proud they are of the two women, others have sent wishes and love their way. Among the many people to respond to the touching tweet were Air India, businessman Harsh Goenka and Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha.
Ashrrita who developed an interest in aviation from a very young age went to Canada for pilot training in 2006. By the time she came back in 2008, the recession had begun and there were no jobs for pilots.
The family struggled to keep Ashrrita’s licence valid. Finally, in 2016, she got a job in Air India and joined the A320 fleet.
It turns out that for Pooja, her daughter becoming an AI pilot was a dream come true.
Ashrrita also shared a video of the emotional goodbye that her mum received from the cabin crew and passengers on her last flight: