The aviation sector is in a tizzy in the aftermath of the epic Dreamliner plane crash in Ahmedabad a week ago. The worry over aviation safety has now been heightened also by the abrupt cancellation of two Air India flights of the Dreamliner stable following the detection of snags in pre-flight tests –one for the ill-fated Ahmedabad-London sector and the other the Delhi-Paris route. More flights are bound to be affected also as a detailed technical examination is under way about flight operations across the board and not just about the Dreamliner flights. Pre-flight checks at six levels have been ordered by the Director General of Civil Aviation, all of which must be undertaken with minute details as passenger safety cannot be compromised.
Loss of life cannot be compensated with a generous rollout of cash. Yet, cash matters too. The families of around 270 persons killed in the Ahmedabad crash are entitled to get around 1.50crore per death, and the Tata Group that currently owns Air India could get insurance entitlement too for the aircraft. All these could involve a sum of over Rs 1,500 crore as per aviation industry estimates and guided as these are by the Montreal Protocols. It will take time for the families to recover from the present shock. Frequent fliers now shaky had once been among the confident ones as plane crashes were rare in recent times. In India itself, the last major airline crash occurred five years ago. The number of flights and airports have increased manifold since the turn of the century.India’s steady economic growth created large numbers of wealthy people, who formed the cream of the society. They were among the jet-set. Travel by Indians to destinations within and abroad has become frequent even as the fares steadily went up. More Indians today prefer exotic locations when they plan a journey for leisure. All these people are now left in a state of shock. A fear of the unknown is gripping them. Such sentiments are bound to continue for some time until the dust settles down over the Ahmedabad tragedy. An investigation has been ordered, which is unlikely to throw much light into the actual reasons for the mishap, as had been proven in similar attempts in the past.
It’s a pity that such a tragic turnaround has come about at a time when the aviation sector offered a lot of new prospects. Drones, for instance. These tiny flying machines are bound to invade all aspects of life in course of time. Even short-distance travels too could be air-borne, reducing the pressure on the roadways. Come to think of it, however, even road mishaps are one too many as the number of vehicles keep increasing phenomenally on the roads. Life would go on despite such a sense of despair, upsets, off and on. The future of travel is “in the air,” so to say.
