Latest news with #K.Dinesh
New Straits Times
11 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Flying anxiety peaks in India after deadly Ahmedabad crash
Retired Air Force officer K. Dinesh has seen a surge in demand for his US$500 therapy course to help people overcome their fear of flying since Air India flight 171 crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad two weeks ago. Dinesh uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling at his Cockpit Vista centre for "fear of flying solutions" in Bengaluru, the only one in India. The centre has received more than 100 enquiries since the disaster, compared with a previous average of about 10 a month. "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane — the sounds, motion, vibrations... exposure therapy is the only solution," said Dinesh, 55, during a tour of the facility where he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often worry passengers. The centre has a simulator for a Boeing and Cessna plane to help people experience how landings and takeoffs appear from the cockpit and understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger. WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash while others said it was "too hard on the brain". A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the June 12 accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests. Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft — Boeing or Airbus — while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. "I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash. Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 United States consumers by research firm Prodege found 55 per cent of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38 per cent had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched. Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organisation said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report. Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on takeoff, according to Airbus' website. The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building — all within 60 seconds. The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, said five mental health experts. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they were constantly checking messages to see if they had landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel. Since the crash, many travellers fear travelling with Air India and are seeking alternative airlines, according to Jaya Tours, a mid-sized booking agency in Mumbai. The Indian Association of Tour Operators, which represents more than 1,600 agents, said overall flight bookings dropped by 15 to 20 per cent soon after the Air India crash, while 30 to 40 per cent of booked tickets were also cancelled.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
'Bloody terrified:' Flying anxiety peaks in India after fatal Air India crash
Retired Air Force officer Dinesh K. has seen a surge in demand for his $500 therapy course to help people overcome their fear of flying since Air India flight 171 crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad two weeks ago. Dinesh uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling at his Cockpit Vista centre for "fear of flying solutions" in Bengaluru, the only one in India. The centre has received more than 100 enquiries since the disaster, compared to a previous average of about ten a month. "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution," Dinesh, 55, told Reuters during a tour of the facility where he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often worry passengers. K. Dinesh poses for a picture next to the layout of Boeing 787 cockpit in the demo room of Cockpit Vista in Bengaluru. Reuters The centre has a simulator for a Boeing and Cessna plane to help people experience how landings and takeoffs appear from the cockpit and understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger. WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash while others said it was "too hard on the brain." A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the June 12 accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests. Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft - Boeing or Airbus - while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. "I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash. K. Dinesh poses for pictures next to the layout of a cockpit in the demo room of Cockpit Vista in Bengaluru. Reuters Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 US consumers by research firm Prodege found 55% of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38% had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched. 'DEBILITATING ANXIETY' Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organisation said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report. Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on take off, according to Airbus' website. The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet (198.12 m) after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building — all within 60 seconds. The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, five mental health experts said. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they are constantly checking messages to see if they have landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel. In Bengaluru, the $500 Cockpit Vista course is spread over 14 hours and led by Dinesh, who oversaw ground operations during the undeclared 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. He also offers to accompany worried clients on the first flights they take after completing the course. Since the crash, many travellers fear travelling with Air India and are seeking alternative airlines, according to Jaya Tours, a mid-sized booking agency in Mumbai. Taken over by the Tata Group from the Indian government in 2022, Air India continues to face criticism for poor service and an outdated fleet. This year, the airline was also warned about flying three Airbus planes which lacked mandatory inspection checks on escape slides. The Indian Association of Tour Operators, which represents more than 1,600 agents, said overall flight bookings dropped by 15-20% soon after the Air India crash, while 30-40% of booked tickets were also cancelled. "We are getting very unusual questions about aircraft type. Earlier passengers didn't really care about what kind of aircraft it is," said the group's president, Ravi Gosain. "People don't want to hear about Dreamliners." Reuters
Mint
19-06-2025
- Mint
Scared of flying after Air India tragedy? You are not alone
Mumbai: The Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London that stuttered on takeoff and crashed last week, killing more than 270 people on the plane and on the ground, has turned the flight dreams of several fliers into nightmares. Reports of the deaths, amplified by non-stop social media visuals, videos, commentary and user chatter, has embedded the fear of flying deep within even those who are usually nonchalant during takeoff. This has prompted many of them to cancel travel plans, dump Air India tickets, or avoid the same make of aircraft (Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner) as the ill-fated AI171. It has also sent several people scurrying for medical attention and psychological support, according to medical practitioners and aviation experts Mint spoke with. K. Dinesh, a retired wing commander with the Indian Air Force, who now runs Cockpit Vista, a flight anxiety treatment centre in Bengaluru, said there has been a manifold increase in the inquiries he has received since the accident. Also read | DGCA orders Air India to conduct immediate checks of all Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft 'Usually, I get around 10 consultation calls a month," said Dinesh, adding that he has already received more than 100 calls for consultation in the one week since the tragedy. Apart from new clients, many older ones, too, have reached out to him following a loss of confidence in flying. 'You will see people cancelling tickets, cancelling Boeing 787 travel tickets, cancelling Air India tickets," said Dinesh. 'Some people are absolutely not travelling at all." Google Trends show that 'Air India' was the second-most searched term in the country over the past week with more than 5 million queries. Searches for terms like 'is flying safe', 'is Boeing safe' and 'is Air India safe' hit new peaks, the data show. On social media, people posted about their fears in the aftermath of the accident. Many users on X claimed to have cancelled their planned air travel following the accident. 'I was supposed to fly out to Seoul tonight on flight AI312, however after the terrible tragedy today involving your airlines and the same type of aircraft, I have been forced to cancel my trip, as it feels extremely unsafe," one person posted on the platform, tagging Air India. Read this | Air India plane 787 Dreamliner's first crash clouds Boeing's Paris air show This was one of the many social media users who sought refunds from Air India after cancelling their flights. Others claimed they would not fly again with the airline or on Boeing aircraft. Mint could not verify the veracity of these posts. To be sure, air travel is statistically one of the safest modes of travel. The period 2019 to 2023 saw more than 146 million flights, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The number of aircraft accidents in this period were 1,177, with just 17% registering at least one death, according to Aviation Safety Network. Back-of-the-envelope calculations show that an accident happened in this period once in about 124,000 flights and a death, once in about 743,000 flights. Yet, the fear of flying, technically called aviophobia, is not to be swatted away. A 2024 study published in academic journal Dovepress noted that about 40% of people suffer from aviophobia. The study involving 61 participants indicated that the experience of fear of flying was related to past and recent stressful events, among other things. Dr Praveen Kumar, head of the psychiatry department at Institute of Neuroscience, Kolkata agreed that there was an increase in fear and apprehension related to flying following the Air India accident. 'Even people who didn't previously fear flying are now expressing anxiety," he said. Also read | Air India's Boeing Dreamliner crashes minutes after takeoff People who already have some psychological ailments such as anxiety disorders or panic attack disorders are more prone to these types of fear, he said, adding that people who were approaching him were mostly in the age group of 20-45. The conversation is not limited to whether flying is safe. People are also concerned about what they can trust. 'There is a sense of discomfort in not knowing what's next," said Vidya Dinakaran, who runs a private psychotherapy practice in Chennai. Multiple theories swirling over the reason for the crash of AI171 are adding to the fear of flyers, Dinesh said. 'If you are discussing facts, there can be no anxiety. But if you are discussing fiction, there will be a lot of anxiety, because there is no limit to fiction," he said. The fear will only abate once the Airports Accident Investigation Bureau comes out with its findings on what led to the accident, he said. And read | DGCA faces severe staff crunch even as airlines expand fleets rapidly In March, Air India and its low-cost unit Air India Express handled almost 25% share of international passenger traffic in India, the most by any airline group, as per data from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In the same month, the two Air India carriers had 27% market share domestically, as per data DGCA. Market leader IndiGo carried 64% of the domestic passenger traffic that month. Nehal Chaliawala in Mumbai contributed to this story
