Pilot strikes a chord with passengers after Bhojpuri greeting

Before taking off from Patna to the national capital, IndiGo pilot Siddhartha Kumar greeted passengers onboard in his native language Bhojpuri on Thursday.

Soon after, a video of the announcement shot by a passenger was shared on social media. Thousands of people have now liked and commented on the video.

Bhojpuri language is mostly used in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

About the video, Kumar said he was not aware the announcement was recorded by a passenger.

"I am part of the linguistic culture (Bhojpuri) and I believe communication should happen to connect (with people). IndiGo is a fabulous and futuristic organisation, and it encourages constructive experimentation," he told PTI on Friday.

Kumar has been with IndiGo, the country's largest airline, for four-and-a-half years.

When asked about the video of the pilot's announcement, an IndiGo spokesperson said it is basically the airline's new initiative to reach out to customers in regional languages through announcements on regional routes.

In recent months, regional air connectivity has been expanding, with airlines, including IndiGo, starting new routes.

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