Mayday for civil aviation: 37 dead in 37 days

New Delhi: It could well be the worst month in India's aviation history. In 37 days from April 19 to May 25, the country has witnessed five air crashes in which 37 people have lost their lives. The dead include a serving chief minister, BSF personnel and a seriously ill patient who was being flown to Delhi to - ironically - save his life.
Not surprisingly, alarm bells are ringing in the aviation ministry - which is already grappling with serious issues like fake pilots and keeping a critically ill, Air India, alive. "The frequency of crashes is alarming. A single crash of a big plane can have higher casualties, like last May's Mangalore accident involving a Boeing 737 saw 158 people perishing.
But in the last month, the crashes are happening with alarming regularity ," said a commander.
This alarm has led to renewed calls from the aviation industry to strengthen the regulatory mechanism.
27/05/11 Sauranh Sihna/Economic Times

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Categories: Safety May 2011