Editor,
We have just entered into the New Year, looking ahead for positive and happy beginnings of the year, instead turning grim especially for the aviation sector.
Within a week, two plane calamities that struck the whole world in awe and dumb-struck were by the safest mode of transportation; i.e. Air Travel is mayhem of sorts.
It’s really sad especially the incident that took place at Japan’s Haneda International Airport where a collision took the lives of five people who were on their way to deliver help to Ishikawa the earthquake hit area, but alas this tragedy.
I couldn’t comprehend how air collisions can still happen today with such great strides in technology, and that too this particular incident took place at an airport! How can Air Control miss this? Why the crew in the Dash 8 did not receive any warnings in their instruments. I don’t know whether TCAS (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System) is operable when the plane is on the active runway.
Keeping that aside, hope that another air collision like this won’t happen anymore.
Another air accident, where an Alaska Flight en route to Ontario had to make an emergency landing after a window blew out mid-flight and had to make a return due to heavy decompression, but thankfully everyone was not harmed nor injured.
The particular aircraft was the Boeing 737 Max 9, where many accidents had taken place on this series type of aircraft. Thanks to the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) of the US Government that in our country too, the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has taken strong observations on this type of aircraft (Boeing 737 Max Series) which was widely used by Air India, Akasa Air etc.
In connection to the Alaska incident, most passengers have their seatbelts secured even in-flight, that’s why no one was harmed nor injured. It should be a reminder & alarm to every air travellers.
I think that seatbelts should be worn during the entire flights and be taken off only when using the lavatory etc, even though the seat belts signs are switched off.
I hope and pray that such incidents would not take place in the future and i hope that the Indian aviation sector should be highlighted with much safety protection and protocols.
Air travel is the best mode of transportation around the world and I hope that this SAFEST form of transportation lives up to its name.
Chanmiki Laloo
Shillong-02
