I wonder how many of you may recall the history of the Airbus Industry manufactured A320 aircrafts in India. This airplane was conceptualized in the year 1984 and the first maiden flight was on 22nd Feb’87. Indian Airlines placed an order for 43 such aero planes for its then growing network. On 19th Feb’90, one of the planes while approaching the Bangalore airport, descended 800 meters short of the runway and veered into the Karnataka Golf course killing 92 people out of the 146 people in the aircraft.
This is not meant to be a disaster story being re-told; it was just a small introduction to the start of A320 aircrafts flying in Indian air space. Honestly, these aircrafts brought a great deal of comfort, space, legroom etc. during those days and it was a welcome change from the then cramped and overused Boeing 737-200, called the workhorse during the pre-A320 days.
After a fairly long gap, I had this chance of traveling in an A320 Indian Airlines flight IC-609 from Mumbai to Bangalore on Friday, 20th June 2008. Saumya, who was also traveling with me was sitting in a row behind me and was banking on my luck to be brought home in one piece and with little or no delays. Both of us reached Mumbai domestic airport well ahead of the departure time, expecting inordinate delays. It was hence a pleasant surprise when we heard over the PA system that the flight was on time and they expected all passengers to check-in, go through the security check and await the final departure call.
15 to 20 minutes delay should not raise any eyebrows these days. When invited to board the aircraft we were already behind time. From the hot and humid departure lounge of the common terminal 1A used by Indian Airlines and Kingfisher, it was a comfortable drive in an air conditioned bus from the terminal to the parked aircraft. When we got out of the bus, something appeared different and odd and it took me a few moments to realize that we were asked to board from the service entrance door to the left of the aircraft. Was this over-aged airplane facing a jammed door on the right side? We have no way of knowing the truth, for the Govt. run operator does not share much information any which way. Those grouchy cabin crew, with a glum, constipated look on their face, feel that it is an insult to smile. They go about doing their job by not uttering a single word. This brought back nostalgic memories of my yesteryears – unfriendly airport terminals across the country, delayed departure and arrivals and the ‘special’ breed of not so friendly Indian Airlines cabin crew. It also reminded me of the poker faced entertainment staff who usher in people into a closed chamber for an experience of the spooky world – “Ghost Rides” as they are called in Madame Tussauds gallery of the ghosts in London!! Not knowing what to expect, every passenger wears a surprised look on their face when they walk into the aircraft. There was only one difference however. In these world famous and much talked about museums, the authorities take elaborate pains to make a new equipment look like a vintage to bring in some semblance of the bygone era. Well! It isn’t a struggle for Indian Airlines at all…these are true vintage class aircrafts in an “as is” and hopefully flying condition!! No wonder the two recently married couples sitting on either side of my row were behaving as if there was no tomorrow. On-screen escapades of Kajol and King Khan would perhaps pale in comparison.
Poor maintenance of these lovely flying machines was quite glaring to say the least. The floor was completely worn out; the side walls/panels wore a jaundiced look. The once upon a time fresh white side panels have given way to old, musty yellow panels, something similar to the way you would find on your over used and over aged kitchen appliances at home. Even the seat covers looked as if they could do with a wash, even if it were an annual ritual. The food and snacks tray do not correctly fit into the slot in the front seat and it was pretty comical to see some passengers juggle and struggle with it. The lighting had an eerie effect; as if you were walking in the corridor of a Govt. run hospital. Toilets at the rear reminded me of the general toilet in KSRTC’s Kempe Gowda Bus Terminus and hence the less said the better. Yet another thing to be spoken about is the food. Agreed that one cannot satiate the different palate of the wide cross section of the India Diaspora, but aged food? Aged and ailing aircraft…I can understand, but food that is old and revived through constant re-heating!! Yes, that was the case of the food given on the aircraft. Rice had dried to reach its former stage of being raw and the onion pieces sprinkled over the so called fried rice was emaciated, burnt and had reached a crispy stage. Even the hostel food in my college tasted better. At least, it was fresh.
What I did like about the flight is something that some of the other airlines must learn to emulate. The announcements in “Hindi” were truly a refreshing experience. It was in chaste Hindi and as spoken in the Hindi heartland. The pronunciation and choice of words were perfect. Not that this would matter in a state of emergency but nonetheless it was pleasant on the ears. It was a welcome change from the Americanized Hindi spoken by the red brigades of Kingfisher. Thankfully they only speak of the ‘Joy of Flying’ and not listening!!
Saumya had told me something about his previous travel in an Indian Airlines flight and that had set my mind racing. Having a bent of an engineer’s mind in fact, came to my rescue and I could pass the comment of Saumya as a figment of extreme imagination. He had mentioned about sitting next to a leaky emergency door and the cold pencil thin stream of air coming from a hypothetical gap!! This is an impossible possibility, to say the least. For those of you who may be interested to know the finer points, as we ascend, the air gets thinner and the air pressure and temperature falls. For the comfort of passengers and crew, the cabin is pressurized to near normal atmospheric pressure by way of a mechanical devise, also called a ‘pump’ and the air conditioned to be at 22 degrees centigrade. Further, the doors of the aircraft are designed like the lid of the Hawkins pressure cooker. It can close in one direction only and once the pressure inside is higher than outside, it gets completely sealed. The pencil thin stream of air as told by Saumya could have been from a leaky air conditioning duct and nothing else, as air flow in the other direction would defy the laws of physics!!
The flight was otherwise uneventful excepting for the one-legged landing and the nose coming down with a big thud!! Our now famous cabin crew were successful in yanking the correct door open and we got down to a waiting Volvo and from there to the terminal’s arrival gate. In all we were just 45 minutes behind schedule and Saumya attributes this luck to me.
Cheers for Safe Flights and Happy Landings!!
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