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D. Murali

THE flight was the first by the new budget carrier from the cyber-city of Hyderabad to Vijaywada, a destination 300 km to the east. And the new flight would revive an air route last flown about 18 years ago, as the BBC reported.

Unfortunately, sparks and smoke were seen from the left engine as the plane taxied to the runway and the flight was aborted. The inaugural flight had a bunch of VIPs and they had a providential escape, even as the ground staff doused the flames.

The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, stole the limelight for more than one reason: He alerted everyone on board, had the presence of mind to open the emergency exit, and most importantly was cool-headed. Soon after disembarking, Mr Rudy told the media that there was no need for any inquiry as it was a technical snag and not an accident.

For the record, it was not a fire in the engine, but fuel vapour had leaked and come into contact with the exhaust of one engine. While the company's assurance that "Even if such a thing happens in midair, it does not catch fire" may be too big a goli to swallow, Mr Rudy's composure in patting the pilot and asking him and his team not to worry "as these things do happen" takes crisis-handling to new heights. Events such as this are big news and predictably, the next day's edition of newspapers had the shot-not-to-miss, the bird-in-smoke.

Just about a month back, BBC News had announced: "India gets first budget airline." The company would offer tickets that would cost 50 per cent less than other Indian airlines, with the idea of making air travel feasible for all. "A `no frills service' following the example of European budget airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair."

Well, gaffes and goof-ups happen at the wrong time. And, looking back, it would be quite tough for the airline, with the interesting signature "Simplifly", to shrug off the incident. Equally tough it would be for the budget traveller to shove to the deep recesses of his mind the visuals of that fateful flight and still be enticed by the low fares.

It does make a lot of philosophical sense to reason that all that happens is for good, and whatever has to happen will happen and so forth. However, if one were to look at how another budget big-timer Branson handled such a crisis, it would make for some introspection.

The autobiography of Richard Branson, titled unholy-ly as Losing My Virginity narrates the story of the inaugural flight to New York from the UK, something that happened almost two decades ago, in June, 1984. Three days before the launch, they had to get the final approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). For the test flight, the entire crew was on board, plus a hundred of his staff, and Branson sat with the CAA official at the back. The plane's engines were not insured because that would be possible only after CAA approval.

"We took off and the crew all burst out clapping and cheering," writes Branson. "Then there was a loud bang from outside... and a massive flash of flame then a long trail of black smoke poured out from one of the engines."

What a tragedy! "In that horrible stunned silence, the CAA official put his arm round my shoulders: `Don't worry, Richard,' he said. `These things happen.'"

The problem was that the plane had flown into a flock of birds, and one of the engines had sucked in some of them and exploded. A new engine costing £600,000 had to be fitted, test flight had to be done, licence obtained and the inaugural flight was within 48 hours with `250 journalists and cameramen on board', and Branson was standing beside the plane trying to think, when a press photographer came up to him `smiling broadly'.

Read on what Branson writes: "`I'm sorry,' I apologised. `I'm not up to it now.' `I'm sorry too,' he said. `I saw the flames and smoke pouring out of your engine. I actually got a great shot of it.' He looked at my dumbstruck face and then said, `Don't worry though, I'm from the Financial Times; we're not that kind of paper.' He opened up his camera, pulled out the film and gave it to me. I couldn't find words to thank him. If that photograph had appeared in the press, it would have been the end of Virgin Atlantic before we'd even begun."

Inspiring stuff, not only for airlines, but for journalists too.

EeAndOhEe@hotmail.com

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