Patience First
The temptation to settle on a convenient explanation after a major aviation disaster is understandable.
The temptation to settle on a convenient explanation after a major aviation disaster is understandable.
According to the airline's statement, flight AI479 "marginally infringed" into Pakistani airspace, which remains closed for Indian airlines.
An Air India Airbus A321 operating between Delhi and Amritsar briefly entered Pakistani airspace after a navigation system snag. The aircraft returned safely to Indian airspace following an alert from Pakistani ATC and later landed in Amritsar after a diversion to Delhi.
One year after one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history, the most unsettling reality is not that the final answer remains elusive. It is that, in the absence of definitive findings, competing certainties have rushed in to fill the void.
The plane took off. It never landed. 260 people left the ground that afternoon, only one came back. Milan Sharma lost his sister. Now he is making sure no one forgets.
The new fuel surcharges are being implemented in three phases, covering travel on all flights, including those operated by Air India Express.
Domestic airlines including IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet on Friday began gradually restoring limited flight operations to and from the Middle East, while thousands of services remain cancelled amid continuing airspace restrictions tied to the US-Israel and Iran war.
Amid heightened tensions in West Asia and discussions on social media, Air India has issued a clarification dismissing claims that its flights operated over restricted airspace in the region.
"From 5 to 11 March, we’re operating 3 additional flights between Delhi and Toronto. From 7 to 10 March, we’ve added three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, and one flight between Delhi and Paris (Charles de Gaulle)," Air India said in a statement.
Indian carriers have taken initiatives to operate 58 flights on Wednesday to repatriate passengers stranded in the Middle East, even as most regional airspace remained closed or restricted amid escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
