Nine-year-old flies solo from Mumbai to Bengaluru to reach home

After being stuck with his grandparents in Mumbai for over two months because of the nationwide lockdown, nine-year-old Shiven Desai was reunited with his parents in Bengaluru a day after domestic flight operations resumed in India.

The highlight of the journey was Shiven’s solo trip.

The boy, who took the flight alone, was more excited after his little adventure. “They took good care of me. As soon as I entered the airport, I was given sanitiser, gloves and protective gear,” he said.

However, the parents were worried and Neha Desai, Shiven’s mother admitted that they could not sleep till his flight took off.

“We were very worried that it would get cancelled,” she said.

Related news: 5-year-old flies alone to Bengaluru, meets mom after 3 months

Neha added that following the announcement that domestic flights would resume from May 25, she spent around three hours going from counter to counter to get answers. However, she was informed that there were no available flights from Mumbai on May 25.

Finally, her son was finally able to return home in a Spice Jet flight on Tuesday morning.

His temperature was checked upon arrival at Bengaluru airport, and was instructed to stay at home in self-quarantine for the next 14 days.

Shiven who had left for Mumbai on March 15 with his grandmother after his exams were cancelled on account of the COVID-19 pandemic was unexpectedly stuck there after the Centre announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24.

It is to be recalled that five-year-old Vihaan Sharma also flew solo to Bengaluru on a plane from Delhi, to meet his mother after a long gap of three months, a couple of days back. He too was stuck due to COVID-19, but in the national capital.