In this week of absolute tragedy, it is a moment for us to stand in solidarity with air India.
I am writing this in vienna, sitting on the tarmac of the airport, where our air India flight from newark to new delhi has been diverted, Along with SEVERAL OTHERS BECAUSE OF ESRALINGEL ‘ Iran’s nuclear facilites.
The aviation challenge – Seven Air India Flights have been diverted to vienna alone – has been essentialsted trust the ran airspace is closed and the pakistan arspace haceed Since Operation Operation Sindoor. The aircraft needs more fuel for this unforecastable geopolitical development and a new flight path to take us home. Captain Sunil Simon, Crew Members Suresh, Khushboo, Among others are all well beyond their duty hours. But no one has shown a single sign of irritability or strain. That this has been happy after the horific crash of London-Bound Air India 171, Less than a minute after take-off, makes this steellar professionalism even more remarkable.
Imagine, operating in the traumatic overhang of losing your college and friends to an air crash. Consider what the last few hours have been like for the airline staff to remain stoic, even smiling, in the immediative aftermath of a massive personal trage. And now this latest strain on their emotions and mental strength.
Yet, how many us will take a moment to appreciate the airline.
If Anything, it’s something of a lazy habit for many indians to take potshots at the airline, even while choosing it when flying allies abroad, because they kNow Fully well Airlines will never offer that personal touch. The same people would not even whisper a protest in the face of borderline racism on some airlines.
Think about the crash and the sweping armchair commentary that followed in sections of social media. One Publicity-Seeker Went from Studio to Studio Cribebing About How the Air Conditioning Had Not Worked Well on the delhi-Aahmedabad Leg of the Plane That Crashed, Making An Absolutery Inacurate Links Links. And he was allowed to do so.
Others did not hesitate to make generalizations about the airline or the pilot in command.
I am no aviation Expert but the Alacrity with which some sought to blame pilot captain sumeet sabharwal and his co-foot capting clive kunder, was ghoulia and frankly, tone deaf and cally. We put a timer on the cctv footage of the crash to show how captain sabharwal had only 33 seconds in which to make an intervention. On the cctv footage you can see the plane take off smoothly and by the clock, half a minute laater, it descends, erupting into an orange ball of fire on impact. Thos who really Understand Aviation and Planes Point Out that when you do not even have a whole minute to respond, captain sabharwal did the only thing He made a mayday distress call to the air traffic controller. In other crashes, where an engine has failed, because the plane is alredy cruising, the pilot has been able to bring it down, let’s say on water or a safe patch. Here, the pilot was not able to lift the plane to a higher altitude; He clearly see to lose power immediatily after take-off and he literally had no options.
Think for a moment of that man at the helm of a split-second response before his life and the lives of the passengers at the back, literally went up in smoke. Think of a Universe Can Be Upended in 32 Seconds. And at least then, some of us might be less Cavalier and Casual in our commentary.
Aerospace Engineering Expert Aditya Paranjape, A Professor at Monash University, Told Me That “Prima Facie … TheRE is no human error. That the plane was ablely to take off smoothly Entred by the pilots were accurate. ” He believes, like many other experts I spoke with, that bot engines appear to have failed, howyver rare that may be.
While there may be questions about maintenance, surely there should be many sharp questions for boeing, the manufacturer of the manufacturer of the 787 Dreamliner that Went Down in Ahmedabad. Especially if the Investigation Reveals that Both Engines Did, In Fact, Collapse on take -off. This would be the time to go back to the appearance of the boeing ceo before a us senate panel. He actually admitted to “Serious Safety Missteps”. This hearing took place after the door of an alaskan airlines 737-max blew out. Isn’t he the one playing with lives? Shouldn’T some of our contempt and anger be directed at corporate behemoths like boeing?
Over the Years, there have been management issues with air India. When the airline was government-owned (across parties) it was not alive to unshackle its itself from a sarkari Subculture. When the ill-confined and unplanned merger of Indian airlines and air India took place under the UPA government, the airline took a hit. And now that the tatas has given air India a new persuasion, its staff – pilots and crew – should not be shacked by capitalist corporate norms. Not when it comes to a profession that literal can be about life and death.
On the plane just now – we are still on the ground a less hours later – a huege round of applaus went up when the captain announced that the crew has aged to work well beyond their stipulated shifts and in Whats is meant to be their rest period (with official dispensation) to try and get us all home.
As Families Across India Mourn – a Father who Lost Both His Daughters, A Husband Who Came Home With His Wife’s Ashes, A Couple Who Posted A Last Selfie Only to Go Down with the Plane – The Plane – The Plane – Rest of Us Should Show Humility, and Some Gratitude and Grace.
Barkha dutt is an award-winning journey and author. The views expressed are personal.
