Capt Sathe's body brought to Mumbai, last rites on Tuesday

The body was flown from the Kochi International Airport to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and received by his colleagues, Air India officials and members of the aviation fraternity who paid tributes to him.

The 58-year-old Sathe, a former Indian Air Force fighter pilot, was a resident of Mumbai's Powai and is survived by his wife Sushma, sons Shantanu, and Dhananjay and daughter Anjali.

Since Shantanu Sathe who works in Seattle is expected to reach Mumbai only by Monday, the funeral is slated for Tuesday.

However, it was not clear whether Sathe's aged parents - both in their 90s and living in Nagpur - would be arriving here for the last rites.

Meanwhile, the Sathe family has appealed to the media for privacy in its hour of grief.

"Wing Commander (retd) Deepak Sathe's demise has pained the entire Sathe family and we are all together. Under these circumstances, we are unable to answer any media queries, so kindly do not insist," said the family in a social media statement on Sunday evening.