It is shocking that in today’s India, which is known for its technological advancement in all sectors including weather prediction, a passenger aircraft is caught in inclement weather conditions leading to chaos and an emergent situation as it faced dangerous levels of turbulence mid air.
It is for sure that the MeT Department must have the knowledge about weather turning inclement last evening over Jammu skies and if the concerned airport authorities would have contacted the weatherman, there was no chance of such a risky situation wherein over 180 passengers had a close shave after the Jammu bound aircraft has to face brunt of gusty gale and lightning. It is hard to believe that the MeT department was caught unaware by the changing moods of weather God because the gadgets used by the aforesaid department are world class, equipped with all the modern devices making it nearly impossible to miss such significant changes in weather condition. It is advisable that instead of relying on 24 hours or 12 hourly predictions by the MeT officials, the concerned authorities at the Jammu Airport should have access to real time changes in the weather conditions to better judge the situation and avoid such kind of exigencies as it is the matter of hundreds of precious lives.
The concerned quarters should also upgrade the SOPs and draw the clear lines explaining to all the stakeholders that under what condition the aircrafts should be allowed to enter a particular zone with erratic weather conditions so that things remain safe all the time. It is pertinent to mention that a flight carrying over 180 passengers took off from Delhi airport at 5.30 pm yesterday and was subsequently delayed by an hour due to bad weather in Jammu region. As things started becoming distrustful due to massive turbulence, the flight was diverted to Amritsar, where it landed safely but reportedly many passengers who had a miraculous escape over Jammu sky refused to again try this flight for reaching their destination and instead opted to travel by road. As global warming is also playing a spoilsport in many such cases, it is advisable for the concerned authorities to remain extra cautious in such matters and never allow anyone to go for a misadventure by confronting vagaries of weather since precious human lives are at stake.
