The recent Air India fiasco in a Guwahati-bound flight from Silchar sums up the mess it is in. The way it has been handled is symptomatic of how governance has failed due to political neglect and expediency.
WHAT DO you say about an aeroplane, which takes off and then loses one of its wheels, which is flung unceremoniously down in mid air? Yes, this happened in an Air India flight from Silchar to Guwahati a few days back. With apologies to the feelings of all the passengers who were on board, I would say it epitomizes the current mess Air India is in.
One hears of bizarre episodes taking place in Air India flights such as pilots having skirmishes with the cabin crew. But this episode seems to be a case of gross neglect. Are not the aeroplanes checked technically? This incident gives one the goose pimples and certainly one heaves a sigh of relief to hear that the passsengers and the cabin crew went unscathed, notwithstanding the panic and fainting of some passengers. And then of course the Chief Minister of Assam is there to congratulate the pilot and the co-pilot for a "safe" landing!
Whenever on a flight, I get the jitters when I hear that it is delayed for 'technical' reasons. It could mean anything from bad weather to paucity of aircrafts! But the recent brouhaha over this episode leaves one thinking. I was always lead to believe that belly landing is possible by an astute pilot. However, in this case the plane losing one of the wheels, watched by people perhaps is what gives it a macabre twist. And then of course the landing, which we are told was almost like gate crashing!
All said and done, the adage All's well that ends well is very pertinent here - but certainly not with Air India! Its problems regarding salary payment, pilots' strike have made Air India not only a white elephant but a terrible one at that. The merger of Indian Airlines with Air India has perhaps made matters worse. One shudders to board a flight on it!
