11-month-old baby dies mid-air en route to Hyderabad from Doha

In a sad incident, an 11-month-old baby died mid-air while travelling by Qatar Airways in the early hours of Wednesday. One month shy of celebrating his first birthday, Arnav Varma developed a breathing trouble in the air while travelling from Doha to Hyderabad.

The moment flight touched down at the Telangana capital, Arnav was rushed to Apollo medical centre at the airport itself, but he couldn’t be saved. The hospital declared the baby dead on arrival.

According to reports, the baby held a United States passport unlike his father Anil Varma, who holds an Indian passport.

Moved by the tragedy, Qatar Airways spokesperson expressed its grief following the incident. “We are aware of the very sad news that a young child passed away at Hyderabad International Airport this morning. Our heartfelt sympathy and thoughts are with the affected family,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by Sun Online.

The shocking news comes on the heels of a slightly happier time for the airline which won accolades at the 2019 Passenger Choice Awards. It won the top prizes on both — best cabin service and best in-flight dining — categories. The awards were based on passenger feedback and was organised by Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).

Meanwhile it also had a rough patch to deal with, when only last week the airline reported a loss of £50m in the last one-year period which was a consequence of trade and diplomatic boycott from countries like United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

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