Relative recalls co-pilot Clive Kunder’s passion for flying

Mangaluru: Clive Kunder, who died in Thursday’s Air India flight crash at Ahmedabad, was a soft-hearted person, recalled his close family friend residing in Mangaluru. Clive (32) was the co-pilot of the ill-fated flight.

Clive’s father Clifford Kunder hailed from Mangaluru. “He was a down to earth person and an amazing person to be around,” the relative recollected. His death has shocked family members who cherished their relationship with him, the relative said. 

Since his school-going days Clive was passionate about flying. With the support of his father and mother Rekha (serving as Air Hostess in Air India for past 33 years) he enrolled in Bombay Flying Club’s College of Aviation. He underwent airline pilot training programme in Paris, the relative told DH when contacted. 

In 2012, he began serving as a pilot and joined Air India in 2017. Within 13 years, he had 1,100 hours of flying experience. The parents of Clive who stay with their daughter abroad are returning to India to conduct the final rites of their only son, the relative said.