A flight attendant working for LOT Polish Airlines has been killed in a horror highway smash during a layover in Delhi, India. The crew member, along with a female colleague, was using the work trip to visit the Taj Mahal, one of the Six Wonders of the World.
Local police have identified the flight attendant who was killed in the road accident as Michał Majdzik, a 29-year-old Polish national who had been working for LOT since 2023.
The cab driver, who is from Agra, was also killed in the accident, while the 27-year-old female Polish national, who has only been identified as Agnieszka, was left in a critical condition following the accident on February 18.
Michał and Agnieszka had been picked up from their crew layover hotel close to Delhi International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning for the four-hour drive to the Taj Mahal.
The route from Delhi to the Taj Mahal involves driving along a stretch of the 135 km KMP Expressway.
At around 6:30 am, a dumpster truck ‘rammed’ into the rear of the taxi that was driving Michał and Agnieszka. The driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a truck parked at the side of the expressway, and burst into flames.
Local police report that the driver of the dumpster truck that hit the back of the taxi fled the scene. Michał and the cab driver were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
LOT Polish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In January 2023, six American Airlines aircrew based in New York were seriously injured in an accident on the same stretch of expressway during a layover trip to the Taj Mahal.
The injured aircrew included two pilots and four flight attendants. Two of the injured were left in a critical condition following the accident.
This accident occurred after thick fog descended on the expressway.
Visiting the Taj Mahal is not only a must-do trip for many tourists headed to India, but also for foreign aircrew who find themselves on short layovers in Delhi. Although European aircrew might get less than 24-hours in the city, many will still find the time to organize a tour to the Taj Mahal, which includes an eight-hour round trip from their hotel.
