How Safe Is Our Sky Today

With luck going in favor I could again get air tickets at reasonable price. With the advent of low cost airlines air travel has really become less burdensome on the pockets and has really attracted travelers sitting on the fringe between railways and the airlines.

But there is one thing which really makes me concerned is the condition of our airports and makes me wonder are the airports really equipped to handle such sub sonic onslaught.

I am primarily concerned about two things:-

1) Safety standards of these airlines are leaving much to be desired. As we all know the staff boarding the aircraft with the passengers needs to be trained to the best level because they have to be prepared to face any eventuality. Specially the pilot and the co pilots. With not many flying schools in the country one needs to thinks do we have sufficient numbers of properly trained pilots. And we all know that aircraft maintenance is one of the most specialized jobs. Do all these newly born airlines have sufficient support staff to regularly maintain the aircraft?

2) With almost all the new airlines boasting of reduced prices and are still slashing prices at the drop of a hat with new schemes, is this price war affecting the airline in any major way. We all know that aviation fuel is at an all time high as far as costs are considered and with some of the major western airlines filing for bankrupsy or are virtually on the verge of being bankrupt how are all these new airlines coping with this costing pressure. To what extent the negative effect of this price war is getting scaled down to the consumers. Is the delicately balanced situation (if I may use the word) forcing the airlines to cut expenditure towards the upkeep of their fleet? Are they actually looking towards the welfare of their employees because a minor thing as employee welfare from the consumer’s perspective and have major impact on them and this impact can be adverse too.

The last thing we want to hear is that people start comparing flying in these airlines as flying MIG 21.