This Children’s Day, SpiceJet gives wings to help Subhan, a tea seller, realise his dream of becoming a pilot

SpiceJet to extend complete sponsorship for Subhan’s pilot training under the Company’s ‘Sapnon ki Udaan’ initiative

Gurugram : This Children’s Day, SpiceJet rolled up its sleeves to convey an inspiring message to the young kids, the future of India – to never give up on your dreams. The country’s favourite airline went all out this Children’s Day to help Subhan Imtiyaz, a 15-year-old tea seller from Mumbai’s Byculla Railway Compound, realise his dream of becoming a pilot. The airline under its signature program – Sapnon ki Udaan, has committed to extend complete sponsorship for Subhan’s pilot training course.

SpiceJet discovered Subhan on the social media where his heartfelt story was narrated by Humans of Bombay, an Indian photoblog. Subhan’s father had passed away when he was just 2-years-old. His mother worked in a school but lost her job during the Covid pandemic. She started working as a cook to support the family. However, Subhan was forced to drop out of school due to their financial condition. To support his family, Subhan started selling tea on the streets of Mumbai. Within six months, he was able to save enough to re-join school. Now, he studies in the morning and sells tea in the evening.

SpiceJet team got in touch with Subhan and his family. To celebrate Children’s Day and his love for flying, SpiceJet flew Subhan, his mother and two sisters to Delhi. The family had never travelled by air before and this was a first for them. SpiceJet team had planned an eventful day-long program packed with surprises for Subhan and his family.

After reaching Delhi, Subhan and his family were taken to SpiceJet’s flight simulator facility, where, much to his delight, he got to spend time on Boeing 737 flight simulator. The experience of getting so close to his dream job was immense for Subhan who could not contain his excitement by the end of the session.

For the last and the life-changing surprise, they were brought to the airline headquarters where they met SpiceJet’ Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh who offered a full sponsorship of Subhan’s pilot training course at SpiceJet’s Spice Star Academy. Subhan’s dream of becoming a pilot will be realized as soon as he finishes his Pilot training program. Subhan was presented with a trainee pilot’s uniform with a badge with his name and an airplane model.

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “Our Sapnon ki Udaan program for the underprivileged children was thoughtfully formed with the vision of bringing dreams to life of children like Subhan who do not even have the basic amenities to realise their dreams. SpiceJet is tremendously proud to support Subhan in making his dream of becoming a pilot come true and I wish him the very best. These are times of extreme uncertainty and I urge everyone to come forward and do their bit in supporting the underprivileged who have suffered the most during the worst global crisis ever.”

Since 2014, SpiceJet has been actively involved in the initiatives undertaken to make a difference to the lives of the underprivileged and attempt to bring a positive change in the society. On the occasion of Children’s Day in 2019, the airline took 118 underprivileged children and adult patients battling cancer on a ‘joy-flight’, followed by fun-filled activities to make the day more memorable.

In 2017, on the occasion of Rakhi, SpiceJet flew almost 50 sisters and families of Army Jawans to meet their brothers posted at the Base Station in Delhi and Base Hospital in Srinagar where injured army soldiers were getting treated. In 2015, 25 underprivileged children from the Navjyoti India Foundation & India Vision Foundation, along with five guardians, were flown from Delhi to Goa on their first-ever flight. These are only a few of the many social contributions and efforts made by SpiceJet.