Abhinandan's parents get standing ovation on board flight to Delhi

New Delhi: It may have been after midnight when the Chennai-Delhi flight came to a stop at the tarmac but there was no scramble to get bags from the overhead bin or rush towards the exit because all eyes were focused on one couple - the parents of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

Air Marshal (retd) S Varthaman and Dr Shobha Varthaman were given a standing ovation as passengers made way for them in the early hours of Friday, ensuring that the couple gets off first.

In photos and videos shared by passengers on social media platforms, the couple, who came to Delhi on their way to Amritsar to bring their son home, can be seen acknowledging the clapping, cheers and thank yous with nods of their heads. The plane landed at the Delhi airport about an hour after midnight.

The couple left for Amritsar soon after landing in Delhi.

Abhinandan's family has served the Indian Air Force for generations, since the Second World War.