It is said that truth is stranger than fiction, but even Hollywood wouldn’t insult the intelligence of cinemagoers with the serial tragedies suffered by Malaysia-based airlines and their passengers this year. The mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Fwlight MH370 was reminiscent of Bermuda Triangle legends. How on earth could a plane simply vanish from the skies in the 21st century in light of sophisticated satellite surveillance and the exhaustive air and sea search by numerous countries over land and sea?
Until today, not a single piece of debris has been found.
Then with the loved ones of the disappeared still grieving, MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Who or what was responsible for that incident is still unclear but questions were asked as to why Malaysian Airlines was targeted when that route is frequented by many other airlines. Without definitive proof, the seeming singling out of Malaysian Airlines was put down to a bad luck coincidence.
Ukrainian officials accused rebels of mistaking it for a military jet. Russia claims it was taken down by the Ukrainian military. It may well be that both assertions are false.
The news that yet another airliner owned by AirAsia, based in Kuala Lumpur, has gone missing is almost beyond belief; especially since this budget operator’s safety record is considered to be second-to-none, just like Malaysian Airway’s was before it was hit by unfathomable tragedies. In a similar fashion to MH 370, Air Traffic Control lost contact with flight deck crew following a request from the pilot to deviate from the normal route from Surabaya to Singapore due to an impending storm. Another similarity is the fact that in both instances, the pilots did not issue a distress call, which may imply that they didn’t have time due to catastrophic events.
The governments of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia have launched a search and rescue operation and the fervent hope is that this time it will bear fruit. The devastated families of the passengers, two pilots and five crew members, mostly Indonesian, are certainly praying for their loved ones to be found alive. At the time of writing there are unconfirmed sightings of possible wreckage in the Java Sea not far from where air traffic controllers lost contact, east of Belitung Island.
Information gleaned from flight radar, indicates the Airbus A320-200 was flying over the Java Sea at 32,000-feet some 40 minutes into the two-hour-long flight. Interestingly, MH 370 was also believed to have strayed from its normal flight pattern.
Of course, these three sad incidents may be completely unconnected. Fate often works in incomprehensible ways and as history tells us lightning does strike twice (although not sure about three times) and no one should jump to unfounded conclusions. In any case, it’s too early in the day to connect the dots when there is a good chance the AirAsia plane will be located. Nevertheless, it’s very probable that investigators will be taking a closer look at the terrorist angle. That said terrorist groups usually boast of their “victories,” which hasn’t been the case until now.
Whatever caused the disappearances of Flight MH370 and AirAsia 8501, it’s time that aviation bodies and airlines came together to come up with tracking solutions, other than air traffic control communications, radar or pings.
The technology is said to exist, entailing each aircraft being fitted with a special tracking system, but airlines have thus far resisted due to cost considerations. But when hundred this year alone have lost husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, children and friends, the pain and suffering endured by loved ones should trump costs, which can, in any case, be passed on to the traveling public. It is hard enough to be told that someone you love is dead, and quite another form of torture to spend your life imagining that they may be out there somewhere, even if that hope couldn’t be more flimsy.
My heart goes out to the families and friends of passengers and crew of all three doomed flights, but also to Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia, which have always striven to offer high standards of safety and passenger services. AirAsia, owned by Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian tycoon, has never previously experienced the loss of a plane, and has enjoyed a satisfied consumer base of over 50 million passengers annually. He began his career as an accountant with the motto “dream the impossible.” His dream of launching the region’s first no-frills airline came true. Let’s hope it can survive this unfolding nightmare!
