Your Flight: Behind the Scenes – An Emergency!

Part 26 of the series Your Flight: Behind the Scenes

James took the shining car out of the service centre next to the café where he had a wonderful breakfast along with his friend Stanley. As soon as he got the car out of the service centre into the joining lane, a young man in a Mustang came crashing into their car after losing control of his vehicle. The impact was quite strong that their car toppled and rolled a couple of times before it hit a nearby road sign and stopped.?

The car was lying upside down with glass shattered all around it. Fortunately, both James and Stan were conscious and soon enough they heard the siren of an ambulance. In a few minutes, the paramedics was on the scene and rescue operations were in full swing. In no time, James and Stan found themselves on the back of an ambulance heading straight to a hospital.

As they were wheeled into the trauma centre, James looked at the paramedic who told him that the car was a total write-off while they were lucky to be alive since both had their seat belts on. When they were found, they were hanging like bats in their car.

James and Stan had the same look on their face. Evidently, they were recollecting the incident at Toronto airport in Canada last month when the passengers were in a similar state after the aircraft suddenly flipped and toppled on landing. What saved each one of them was the fact that all of them had their seat belts on.

After examining both James and Stanely, the doctor at the Emergency Response referred them to be kept in observation for a few hours to ensure that they were alright before letting them go. While lying down on their respective beds in the observation area, Stan couldn’t stop wondering and asked James about the incident at Toronto. They couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that the fire fighters reached the scene in the blink of an eye, even before all passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft.

‘In any other scenario Stan, the pilot will get at least some time to inform the Air Traffic Control and their respective airline Network Control Centre about the situation. But this was totally out of the blue, literally! Nevertheless, let us not forget that airports are equipped to handle situations such as these with very high levels of efficiency. Even before the fire engines headed to the aircraft, calls would have been placed alerting all relevant authorities who played an important role in responding to the emergency.’

‘I can’t agree any less James. I have heard from a friend of mine working with an airline about their Emergency Response Team which swings into action as soon as they receive the first alert. The airport, the involved airline, respective government bodies, the aircraft manufacturer and all emergency divisions are kept ready to handle any such situation.’

James was feeling tired lying down and so he sat up on the bed.

‘Believe it or not Stan, the frenzy of activities that follow an emergency being declared is something like a chain reaction. On top of what you said, the airlines will immediately put a team together to update the kith and kin of all passengers on board. Hotlines are established for anyone who wants to reach out to the airline to get the latest updates about the incident. Taking care of victims and being empathetic to their families remain the top priority. In addition to the medical facilities provided, airlines also take care of the accommodation and transportation needs for the passengers as applicable. The airline will also need to think of business continuity and will take required action to take care of subsequent flights which would have been planned for the passengers as well as for the aircraft that was involved in the incident.’

‘Indeed James, I can’t imagine how handful the work will be for the airline in case of an emergency. Having said that, let us appreciate the efforts taken by airlines to ensure safe transition for their passengers post any incident. Many passengers may need to be provided a translator as the incident could happen in a foreign country. Others may need help with new travel documents including passports if they were lost during the incident. In many cases, you even need someone to provide the passengers with mental support for the trauma through which the passengers may have gone through.’

An affirmative nod is what James gave Stan. As he was about to add something, a nurse walked in and broke the good news that they were free to leave. As they were getting out of the observation room, James remembered what he was going to add.

‘The actions are not limited to airline Stan. The airport needs to get back to normal operations at the earliest especially in cases where a runway is blocked. Many flights will need to be diverted. Runway needs to be cleared for traffic. The airline will also involve a ground handler to salvage the baggage and cargo from the aircraft if feasible. Baggage cleaning procedures are applied to ensure they are free of any dangerous fluids from the incident. These bags need to be correctly tagged and guaranteed that they reach the owners at their doorsteps. It does not stop there. Most airlines announce compensation for passengers shortly after the incident which is an attempt at maintaining customer relations.’?

‘But James, these are immediate actions. Are you not forgetting the long-drawn set of activities that may take years to conclude after an incident? There will be a formal investigation by a combination of aviation safety authorities. Let us also not forget the possibilities of litigation that may follow an incident.?While this plethora of activities may take its course for any such event, I can’t help but wonder. Ever since the start of this year, we have been hearing about so many incidents that I am afraid 2025 is turning out to be a bad year for aviation'.

James was quite surprised to hear a comment like that from a seasoned aviation expert like Stanley. 'Isn't it too early to make statements such as that Stan? The worst ever year for aviation was 1972 when the world lost 3346 poor souls. The toll this year till date is 87 which is less than the same time last year if it is of any solace for you.'

Stan had a sheepish smile and to his defence he added, 'Of course James, you will obviously know this a fun fact related to aviation. The risk of death from driving is higher on a 100-mile trip than flying.

Let us all hope for safer skies and happier moments. The love of flying never ceases!'

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