Rajiv Pratap Rudy's warm welcome for Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jitendra Singh while piloting flight

Former Union Minister and IndiGo pilot Rajiv Pratap Rudy gave a special in-flight welcome to Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Jitendra Singh on a Jammu–Delhi flight, turning a routine announcement into a moment that drew passengers’ attention.

The video, shared by Northern Railway on their official X account, showed Rudy, a commercial pilot by profession, taking to the aircraft’s announcement system to acknowledge the presence of multiple high-profile leaders onboard.

“We have a very special guest today traveling with us. We have the Honourable Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, travelling with us,” Rudy began, before adding that Jitendra Singh, was present as part of the delegation.

The announcement continued with the pilot welcoming Sanjay Jaiswal, Chairman of the Estimates Committee, along with several MPs, including Manoj Tiwari, whom he described as a well-known public figure from Delhi. He also mentioned other members of the group, such as Chandan Chauhan and Manish Jaiswal, indicating the scale of the delegation travelling together.

Adding context to the journey, Rudy explained that the group had been part of a parliamentary or statutory committee visit to Jammu and Kashmir, travelling from Srinagar before boarding the flight to Delhi. “It’s a privilege for me to take all of you to Delhi,” he said, closing the announcement.

According to the caption shared alongside the video, the ministers and MPs were travelling from Jammu Tawi to Delhi following their official visit, and were given a warm welcome onboard.

Watch the video here:

The clip gained traction online, with several viewers pointing out how unusual it is to see such many senior political figures travelling together on a commercial flight, and appreciating the pilot’s gesture of acknowledging them publicly.