Amid delays due to fog and poor visibility, an IndiGo flight (6E-126) from Patna to Pune was delayed by over three hours on Wednesday, as the pilot of the aircraft refused to fly it soon after getting the news of his grandmother’s death, said airlines sources.

The aircraft, with 162 passengers on board, had left the parking bay to prepare for take off when the first officer got the news about his grandmother’s demise. The distraught pilot, aborted the flight as he was not in the right frame of mind to fly, and returned to the parking bay, said the an airport source.

“The first officer received information of sudden demise of his grandmother. Alternate crew was arranged for the flight, and the passengers were served refreshment,” said an airlines source.

The aircraft, which was scheduled to leave at 1.25pm from the Jay Prakash Narayan International airport in Patna, finally left at 4.41pm.

The IndiGo did not issue any statement till the filing of this report at 11.30 pm on Wednesday.