Crash survivor ran with passport to get arrival stamp, AI may hire him

New Delhi: Air India Express Flight IX 812 from Dubai had plunged into a gorge and was burning when 24-year old Joel Pratap D’Souza crawled out, miraculously unhurt. Anyone else in his position would have headed straight to a hospital. But D’Souza, from Vamanjur in Mangalore, had more important things on mind — like reporting his arrival in India.
Leaving the burning craft, D’Souza made his way up the steep slope, hitched a ride on a motorcycle and reached the Bajpe airport terminal, holding on to his only identity — his Indian passport. He rushed to the immigration desk and demanded that his passport be stamped as proof of his arrival in the country.
A bewildered immigration official looked at D’Souza and asked him which flight he had come on — by then news of the crash had spread like wildfire.
D’Souza told him he was on the plane that had just gone down. The official was speechless.
Officials conducting search and rescue operations admitted that D’Souza was instrumental in providing crucial information to the ground staff.
Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav Jadhav told The Indian Express that he had decided to offer the young man a job in Air India. “In adverse circumstances, D’Souza displayed presence of mind. Such an employee is an asset to any organisation. I need such people at Air India,” Jadhav said. “I have to go through his profile and find him an appropriate job in this organisation.”
For D’Souza, this may be the answer to his prayers. If he lands a job here, he can stay back in the country, closer to his family. He had gone to Dubai for job interviews and, having been made an offer, was on his way home to collect documents when the plane went down.
28/05/10 Smita Aggarwal/Indian Express

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Categories: Air India Budget May 2010, Airports May 2010, NACIL May 2010, Safety May 2010