DNA Edit: Flying Deathtraps - Jet Airways incident is another warning

On September 20, an air pressure switch was not switched on board a Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight, an incident as shocking as it is alarming. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the crew forgot to flip on the  “bleed” switch, which maintains a comfortable air pressure inside the cabin. As a result, pressure dropped to alarming levels, and passengers multiple medical complications.

This required overhead oxygen masks to be brought down and the  aircraft to return for sick passengers to taken to a hospital for treatment. This is not the first security or safety lapse, nor are such incidents limited to Jet Airways.

On September 11, systems failed aboard an Air India flight from New Delhi to New York and put at risk the lives of 370 passengers. The pilots  saved the day and managed a safe landing although the instrument landing system (ILS) was not functioning. The aircraft also suffered a Traffic Collision and Avoidance System (TCAS) failure. 

Earlier in July, TCAS prevented a collision between two IndiGo planes. Several incidents of safety and security lapses, including those that go unreported, leave no doubt that Indian air passengers are at far greater risk of losing their lives than they suspect.

In recent years, the sole focus of airlines has been on cutting costs and (competent) personnel. In the process, little attention has been paid to regulatory, safety and security aspects. This incident should serve as a warning and a wake up  call to the authorities. It is high time that responsibility is fixed for passenger safety.

The DGCA should be made as much liable as the airline. It is not enough to have an enquiry and produce a report after the  incident is forgotten. It is important to notify the action taken and the safeguards that would be put in place.