I’ve a thing for early morning flights. They’re the first one, so usually on or before time. I’ve no issues in getting up early. I pass out the minute I buckle up in the plane and before that I’m as alert as always. There is no traffic so you commute in the shortest time possible. Plus you’ve a saved the major chunk of the day. But for this to work out like a clock work you need two things : first, a reliable alarm clock, and second, a cab driver you can blindly rely on.
Well the trip didn’t start on a good note. My trusted driver of so many years was late. I had timed my departure based on his habit of arriving 15-20 mins before the appointed time. Today he was late and I started walking down the road to save the turn around time. He finally turned up 5 min late. Thankfully the road to airport was empty at 5am and we spend to the airport at 100-110 km/hour.
The flight to Delhi was on time and uneventful. The transit passage for domestic travellers was closed so had to take the long route to the departure lounge. Went straight to the departure area after the nightmarish experience of the past few trips. Luckily got a seat right opposite the electronic board displaying the flight schedules.
The first thing I noticed on the board was that the departure gate of only my flight to Jammu was not given in the 30-40 flights put up. This felt like a bad omen to me. I had another couple of hours to go for the next flight so I waited for it to be put up. After sometime I couldn’t take it anymore and went hunting for the Indigo staffer. First one said it was 13B, the second, more senior one, wouldn’t believe it hadn’t been put up till I didn’t drag him to it. They finally put up as 14B on the display. I shifted my seat in the lounge to inbetween 13 and 14 and waited for them to make up their mind. It was 13B eventually!
The flight started on a good note. Seat 23A and the seat next was empty. Bright and sunny with a blue clear sky. I passed off for a while with my mouth open, all relaxed and on my way home. Waking up at 4am after only a few hours of sleep had finally taken its toll.
I woke up with the pilots announcement of our being half an hour or so from Jammu. He went on to say that the weather over Jammu was turbulent with high winds and thunderstorms.
The pilot went on to say please brace yourself and keep your seatbelts on.
As we approached Jammu the clouds started looking ominous and the kind I had never seen before – dark and jagged. We move closer to the destination and I start seeing familiar land marks. As the plane starts the descent the winds pick up. The plane is now swaying like a paper plane from side to side. I can hear the wheels coming into place and the wing flaps are up. The runway is in sight and the final maneuver has started.
The plane is literally squeaking like an old wooden house in a dust storm. I could never imagine that a plane can produce such noises. It’s getting difficult to hold on as the plane is swaying from side to side. I can see the people on the ground very clearly now.
Just before the touchdown the pilot abandons it and we start ascending. The passengers are all stunned into silence. Even at 11 in the morning the cabin is dark due to the storm outside and there is an ominous feeling inside. There is an announcement that there’ll be one more try to land. If it fails then either we go back to Delhi or the flight will be diverted to Amritsar.
The plane goes for a different approach to the airfield. It passes right over my place and I think how ironic would it be if I go back without going home. The drama over Jammu has been going on for over 20 minutes now and I really want it to end well.
This time around I think the pilot aligned the craft with the winds cause I could the howling but the plane is not shaking that much. As we approach the runway the second time I am literally chanting “land, land, land…”. My small effort to mentally will it down.
The rear wheels touch the tarmac and the whole plane bursts into spontaneous applause! The cabin lights are switched on and it felt like a happy ending of a real life thriller.
I was at the rear of the aircraft and could’ve alighted from the back stairs but I waited for the crowd to clear before going upto the cockpit and shaking hands with the pilot and thanking him for the landing. He was a smart bearded guy of around 40 and pleased as a punch with his performance.
I stepped down on earth and the raindrops start falling from the sky.