Namaskara cabin crew

Namaskara cabin crew
Author: B V Shivshankar Date: 24 May 2008

Haryana man, who calls himself a proud Kannadiga and a Rajkumar fan, pilots first flight out of BIA




“Yella tumba channagide,” said Haryana-born pilot Captain Eshwar Pal (46), minutes before he piloted the first flight from Bengaluru International Airport at 00:05 am this morning. Eshwar Pal

Pal and his co-pilot Gaurav Jaggi (35), who hails from Delhi, were visibly excited to be piloting a landmark flight.

Indian Airlines flight IC 957 to Singapore was the first plane to take off from the new airport.
Eshwar has been living in the city for 10 years now, and speaks Kannada. “I enjoy watching Rajkumar’s films on TV,” he said.

He has two daughters who are studying in Bishop Cottons’ school. “I am teaching them to speak Kannada,” he said.

Eshwar likes Bangalore so much that he has bought a 3,000 sq ft house at Ferns City on Outer Ring Road in Marathalli. He calls himself a Kannadiga, though he is originally from Haryana.

Fine facility

The first flight that landed at BIAL was an Indian Airlines’ flight from Mumbai. It landed at 10.14 pm. The pilot, Capt Sunil Vashist from Delhi, has been flying for 19 years.

“It’s a pleasure to land in an airport which has been built to world standards.

I’m very impressed by the runway lights,” he said.