NEW DELHI: A Delhi-to-Pune IndiGo flight was delayed by four-and-a-half hours on Friday after the pilot scheduled to operate the aircraft fell ill moments before takeoff, the airline confirmed in a statement issued Saturday.Flight 6E 2262, originally set to depart Delhi at 6:00 am on July 4, was forced to return to the bay after the pilot reported feeling unwell, IndiGo said. The airline added that the situation was handled as per standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the crew member was given immediate medical attention.“Appropriate medical assistance was provided to the unwell crew and an alternative crew was assigned to operate the aircraft, causing a delay in the flight,” IndiGo said, without revealing further details about the pilot’s condition.Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the flight eventually took off at 10:27 am, over four hours behind schedule.IndiGo further noted that the flight also faced delays due to temporary airspace restrictions at Pune Airport, contributing to the extended disruption.The incident came on the same day another airline reported a similar scare, an Air India commander collapsed in the cockpit in Bengaluru just before operating a flight to Delhi.