Pune: Who is Maitreyee Shitole? Know All About the Pilot Who Saved 140 Lives on Air India Express Flight from Trichy to Sharjah After a Hydraulic Failure

Days after an Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah faced a technical problem, the two pilots who saved lives made headlines. According to an update shared by MoS Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, a major accident was averted due to the coordination between the pilot, Air Traffic Control (ATC), and the Airport Director.

Trichy District Collector Pradeep Kumar also noted that the pilot played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the passengers. One of the two pilots on board was a woman from Pune—Maitreyee Shitole.

For the uninitiated, a flight of Air India Express going from Trichy Airport to Sharjah, had to be landed back at Trichy airport due to hydraulic failure. It took two hours to land because the pilots wanted to reduce the fuel so the aircraft flew in the air for two hours at a height of about 4000 feet. Later it landed safely.

All 140 passengers on the Air India Express flight from Tiruchirapalli to Sharjah were safe after the plane landed at Tiruchirapalli airport on Friday evening.

Who is Maitreyee Shitole?

Maitreyee Shitole is a commercial pilot and she graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University in Physics with A grade. She later studied at the Education Mainland Aviation College, Dunedin.

As per her LinkedIn, she is a commercial pilot license holder from India and New Zealand. She underwent training in Mainland Aviation College, Dunedin, New Zealand and later converted her NZ CPL into Indian CPL.

Maitreyee has now been receiving praise for her work. One person took to X and wrote, "Just gone through the #LinkedIn page of our 'saviour,' Pilot Maitreyee Shitole. Hence proved what was assured: 'I’m a conscientious and responsible professional who works well with deadlines and under pressure.'"

'I believe the pilot was a lady. Hats off to her'

Another person, Dr. Karthik Balachandran, mentioned that one of his nurse's relatives was on the flight. He said that he asked her what it felt like to be inside such a flight. Her answer shocked him. The nurse told him that they didn’t inform the passengers, but her relatives thought they had landed in Sharjah—only to find that they were still in Trichy! It’s possible her relatives didn’t understand, but until the last few minutes, there was no announcement.

He added, "Everyone knows the pilot has pulled off a terrific feat, saving 140 lives. But to do so without causing panic is like carrying the cross of emotion on behalf of the passengers! Reminds me of the Tom Hanks movie Sully, except our pilot has done an even better job! The pilot and the crew deserve a standing ovation. (Perhaps even a movie.)"

As the comment said, "I believe the pilot was a lady. Hats off to her," to which Karthik replied, "The co-pilot was a lady. Maitreyee Shrikrishna is her name."