Latest news with #Viswash
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Viswash effect': Demand up for emergency exit seats after Ahmedabad plane crash; 'some passengers want seat 11A'
KOLKATA: Call it the 'Viswash effect'. Demand and inquiries for seats near emergency exits on flights have increased across carriers. These seats, with extra legroom, cost more, and are in demand following the miraculous escape of Viswashkumar Ramesh. The UK citizen was seated on 11A - a seat next to the emergency exit - and was the lone survivor of AI-171, the flight that crashed on Thursday. Seat numbers next to emergency exits vary according to types of aircraft and class configuration. Aviation experts said seats next to emergency exits may not afford any additional safety in case of a plane crash. All they offer is ample legroom. But for many, these seats now offer mental peace as well. 'Some passengers want seat 11A even if it is not next to emergency' Until Thursday, many flyers declined seats near emergency exits because some of them did not recline much. Moreover, some did not want to be briefed on how to open these exit doors in case of an emergency. Travel agents in Kolkata said while seasoned travellers and tall flyers often opted for these seats and did not mind paying a premium for legroom, others, too, have now started asking about those seats. Jitender Singh Bagga, who runs a distribution and logistics operations business, said he asked his travel agent to only book seats next to emergency exits when he travelled to the US via Delhi next week. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo "It has to be a seat next to the emergency exit. I am willing to fork out any extra amount for it. If seat 11A is next to the emergency door of the British Airways flight I intend to take on June 17, I want to be in it," said the Park Street resident. Lee Road resident Rajesh Bhagnani, a frequent flyer, also told his travel agent to book a seat next to the emergency exit for his travel to Mumbai on June 16. "After watching Viswashkumar's great escape, I want to be seated next to the emergency exit as the possibility of survival will be higher than anywhere else. I know that life and death is a matter of destiny, but I still want to have my best shot. Nothing like seat no. 11A if there is an emergency exit next to it," he said. Anil Punjabi, national committee member of Travel Agents Federation of India, confirmed the rise in queries on seats next to the emergency exit. "Some even want 11A even if it is not next to the exit," he said. Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the eastern region chapter of Travel Agents Association of India, said he got queries from flyers looking for seats next to the emergency exit as well as 11A. "It has got to do with mindset and belief in luck. The flyers say it is for their peace of mind," he said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Viswash effect: Demand up for emergency exit seats
Kolkata: Call it the 'Viswash effect'. Demand and inquiries for seats near emergency exits on flights have increased across carriers. These seats, with extra legroom, cost more, and are in demand following the miraculous escape of Viswashkumar Ramesh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The UK citizen was seated on 11A — a seat next to the emergency exit — and was the lone survivor of AI-171, the flight that crashed on Thursday. Seat numbers next to emergency exits vary according to types of aircraft and class configuration. Aviation experts said seats next to emergency exits may not afford any additional safety in case of a plane crash. All they offer is ample legroom. But for many, these seats now offer mental peace as well. Until Thursday, many fliers declined seats near emergency exits because some of them did not recline as much as other seats. Moreover, some fliers did not want to be briefed on how to open the emergency exit doors in case of an emergency. Passengers with mobility challenges, disabilities and those travelling with infants or children are not assigned seats near emergency exits. Travel agents in Kolkata said while seasoned travellers and tall flyers often opted for these seats and did not mind paying a premium of the legroom, others too have now started enquiring about seats near emergency exits. Jitender Singh Bagga, who runs a distribution and logistics operations business, said he asked his travel agent to only book seats next to emergency exits when he travels to the US via New Delhi next week. "I told my agent about my preference. It has to be a seat next to the emergency exit. I am willing to fork out any extra amount for it. If seat 11A is next to the emergency door of the British Airways flight I intend to take on June 17, I want to be in it," said Bagga, a Park Street resident. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Lee Road resident Rajesh Bhagnani, a frequent flyer, also made his travel agent aware of his preference for a seat next to the emergency exit when he travels to Mumbai on June 16. "I usually rely on the agent for seat selection. But after watching Viswashkumar's great escape, I want to be seated next to the emergency exit as the probability of survival will be higher there than anywhere else. I know life and death is a matter of destiny, but I still want to have my best shot. Nothing like seat no. 11A if there is an emergency exit next to it," said Bhagnani. On Airbus A321neo aircraft used by IndiGo Airlines in the domestic sectors, seats on rows 1, 17, 18 and 27 are behind emergency exits. On A320neo, seats on rows 12 and 13 are near emergency exits. On Air India's narrow-body aircraft used in the domestic sector, row 11 is next to the emergency exit in some A320 aircraft layouts. However, in other A320 aircraft, emergency exits are next to seats on rows 9 and 10. In the A321 aircraft that is also used, seats on rows 9 and 22 are next to the emergency exit. Seat configurations next to emergency exits are different in wide-body aircraft used in international sectors and can range from rows 31, 56, and 67 in B 747-400; rows 1, 11, and 30 in B 777-200; rows 1, 12, 27, and 41 in B 777-300ER; and rows 11, 30 in B 787-8 aircraft. Anil Punjabi, national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India, confirmed the rise in queries on seats next to the emergency exit with particular inquisitiveness about the availability of seat 11A. "Some even want 11A even if it is not next to the exit," he said. Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the eastern region chapter of the Travel Agents Association of India, said he received several queries from fliers looking for seats next to the emergency exit as well as 11A. "It has got to do with the flyer mindset and their belief in luck. The flyers say they don't just want the seats beside the emergency exit for extra leg space but for peace of mind," he said.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Ahmedabad plane crash: Just can't believe my luck, says 'The Man Who Lived'
Viswashkumar Ramesh's mother (R) mourns for her other son Ajay, who was on the same flight, in Leicester on Friday AHMEDABAD: Viswashkumar Ramesh just walked out from the wreckage of a burning and battered aircraft that took with it the lives of everyone else who had checked in with him. He stumbled away from the torn Air India Dreamliner with minor bruises on his face and mild burns on his arms. As the world wonders how, with incredulous news anchors asking that question from television studios in almost every part of the globe, the 40-year-old British national will perhaps for the rest of his life have to live with the agony and ecstasy of a miracle few have or will witness in their time on this earth. From his hospital bed in Ahmedabad, a still-rattled Viswash said on Friday, "I can't believe that I survived. For some time, I thought I too was going to die. Sir (PM Modi) asked me what happened. I told him I don't know... It all happened so fast." Not surprisingly, 11A - the seat Viswash occupied - has now become a universal lucky number. '5-10 secs after take-off, I felt plane was stuck...' The miracle survivor had a special visitor on Friday. PM Narendra Modi spoke to him in Gujarati at the hospital where he is recuperating, Dhirendra Somabhai, Viswash's cousin, told TOI. "Kevu chhe tane? (How are you feeling?)," Modi asked, before inquiring if he was receiving good care. Viswash replied that he was feeling better. "Viswash lost Ajay, his younger brother, in the crash. The PM offered him his condolences and asked him to remain strong and take care of the family," said Somabhai. "When I opened my eyes after the plane went down, I realised I was alive. I saw charred bodies of an air hostess and elderly passengers," Viswash later said. "I unfastened the seatbelt and escaped." Ajay was seated in a different row, on 11J. He is among the victims whose DNA confirmation is awaited. Viswash, originally from Diu, said immediately after take-off, he sensed something was wrong. "Within five to 10 seconds, I felt the plane had got stuck... The lights turned white and green. The plane was trying to race for take-off, and then it crashed..." He was lucky his side of the aircraft did not fall on the hostel for medical students. "That part landed on the ground, and I could see there was space outside (to move). So, when my door broke, I attempted an escape and was successful," he said. "The other side was blocked by a wall so nobody could have escaped from there." Viswash's father, who resides in London, is scheduled to arrive in Ahmedabad on Saturday to attend the last rites of Ajay. Viswash and Ajay, along with their families and parents, have lived in London for 15 years, managing a garment business in England and a fishing operation in Diu.
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Do I celebrate one son's survival or grieve another?' In Leicester, father of lone survivor recalls video call with son
'God has taken away a son, and another has survived…' Thursday afternoon brought Leicester, UK, resident Ramesh Bhalaiya a news no parent would ever wish to receive. The 52-year-old learnt that the Air India plane that was bringing two of his sons, Viswashkumar and Ajay, back to London had crashed seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad. Visuals from the crash scene gave little hope for survival of any passenger; early reports, marked by uncertainty and speculation, only added to the distress. Bhalaiya thought his worst fears had come true. But then, he got a video call. It was his oldest son, Viswash. 'He was breathing heavily. He told me that the flight had crashed and Ajay was nowhere to be seen. There was smoke everywhere. He told me that somehow he managed to exit the crashed flight structure. Then, the phone got disconnected…' Bhalaiya says during a phone call with The Indian Express on Friday. As the day wore on, and it became clear that the chances of Ajay's survival were slim, a pall of gloom descended over the family. 'Our entire family was shocked. Ajay's wife and children started crying. I was also devastated but as an elder member of the family, I had to control my feelings and console them. Later in the afternoon, I again called up Viswash who told me that he had been admitted to the hospital with minor injuries. He then gave us the news about the death of Ajay…' says Bhalaiya. The Bhalaiyas are a family of fisherfolk in Patelwadi village of Diu town in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Bhalaiya and his wife are Portuguese passport holders who moved to London around 20 years ago. 'After 10 years, they got British citizenship,' says Jigar Chunilal, Bhalaiya's nephew, who is looking after Viswash at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Like every year, the Bhalaiyas had come down to Diu in September last year during the fishing season. While the rest of the family flew back to the UK in January, Viswash and Ajay stayed behind to wrap up some work. In Leicester, the brothers work at different garment firms. The fateful day of June 12 began as normal for the family, Bhalaiya recalls. 'I was in contact with Viswash who informed us that the flight had taken off from the runway. But after a few minutes, I got another call…' In an interview to Doordarshan, following a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, Viswash, 39, says he was able to escape because on his side of the window, 'the door broke and there was some space to get out and escape'. 'Everything happened in front of my eyes; I am unable to believe how I came out of this alive. For a brief moment, I thought I was going to die, but when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive. I unbuckled my seat belt, and got out from wherever I could,' says Viswash as he recalls how he saw 'an air hostess and other passengers die' in front of him. Viswash was on seat 11A while Ajay, 45, was on 11J. 'It felt like the aircraft was stuck' Describing the sequence of events, Bhalaiya tells DD, 'After takeoff, suddenly, for 5-10 seconds, it felt like the aircraft was stuck; then, the green and white lights came on inside the plane… then while picking up speed for take-off, it crashed into the building. On my side, where the door broke, there was some space. So, I tried to get out and succeeded. On the other side, perhaps because there was the wall of the building, people could not get out. I don't know how I escaped… an ambulance brought me here to the hospital.' Viswash's parents and two other brothers, Nayan and Sunny, are on their way back from Leicester. On Friday, in an interview to NBC News, Nayan is heard saying, 'It is a miracle, he (Viswash) has survived. No miracle for my other brother… I have no words to say. Like, I am scared to fly now, to even sit on the plane.' At the hospital, Viswash is nursing burn injuries on his left hand, swelling on his face, and minor injuries on his head. 'The doctors told us that his condition is stable and he will recover soon. He is regularly being taken for dressings for the burn injuries,' says his cousin Jigar, 30, who reached Ahmedabad on Thursday night. Elaborating on the family's Diu connection, Jigar says, 'They own two boats, and during their stay, they also venture out into the sea for fishing. The fishing season lasts for three months, after which they return to London and continue their jobs at the garment firms. They have hired a Tandel (fishermen) family from our village which looks after their boats in their absence.' Patelwadi sarpanch, Deepak Solanki, says over 40 families from the village are settled in London and other countries. 'The (Bhalaiya) family is humble and has a good reputation in the village. They regularly donate funds for the development of the village apart from religious events,' he adds. Sunny, Viswash's sibling, says the family will land in Gujarat on Saturday morning. 'We have to perform Ajay's last rites.'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Someone Somehow Survived That Massive Boeing Jet Explosion
On Thursday, a Boeing jet crashed just moments after taking off from an airport in Ahmedabad in western India. The Air India airliner, carrying 242 passengers, slammed into a nearby medical college and exploded in an enormous fireball. Somehow, one man survived: 38-year-old Viswash Kumar Ramesh. "I don't know how I am alive," Viswash said, according to his younger brother Nayan Ramesh, as quoted by the New York Times. In a video widely shared on social media, the India-born British citizen can be seen limping away from the crash site and towards an ambulance, his shirt bloodied and with what appears to be ash clinging to his hair and clothes. It's almost certain that everyone else onboard perished in the disastrous crash, including Viswash's brother Ajay. The siblings were returning to England after a vacation in India. Ramesh echoed his disbelief in an interview from his hospital bed. "I still can't believe how I got out alive," he told Indian state-owned broadcaster DD News, as quoted by the NYT. "I thought I was also about to die." Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash of Air India Flight 171, which could take months or even years to determine. One compelling piece of evidence so far is footage of the takeoff from several angles. As the airliner, a Boeing Dreamliner 787, rises from the runway, it can be seen losing lift, before eerily floating down to the streets below. Data from the flight-tracking service Flightradar, which was shared in a tweet, indicates that the jet reached a maximum altitude of 625 feet — with the airport's altitude at about 200 feet — before plunging at a rate of 475 feet per minute. Additional data from the aviation analytics firm Cirium cited by the NYT showed that the jet, which was delivered in January 2014, had racked up more than 41,000 flight hours, and had taken off or landed nearly 8,000 times over its career — which is typical for its class and age. What this all means is unclear. Some experts have speculated that this could be a case of an extremely rare double engine failure, while others have disputed this explanation. It's far too early to know for sure, regardless. Per the NYT, Ramesh recalled that the plane felt "stuck five or 10 seconds after takeoff," and that the pilot was trying to accelerate the aircraft. "But it was struggling," he said. Ramesh was sitting in seat 11A, a number which has already become immortalized online. After the crash, Ramesh said he unbuckled his seatbelt and looked for an exit, seeing that the right side was blocked off by the wall of a building, with passengers unable to escape. "I could see in front of my eyes the air hostesses and others — just everybody caught in it." On the other side, "as soon as the door broke, I could see that it was open for me and I had a chance to get out," Ramesh said, adding that he burned his hand when the fire erupted. The horrific tragedy will heighten the scrutiny on Boeing. This is the first crash that its 787 Dreamliner has been involved in since it was launched in 2011, but the company has been embroiled in scandal after two deadly crashes with its 737 MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. The scrutiny was renewed in early 2024, when a "door plug" on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 blew out midflight. Air India also has a history marred with deadly crashes, including one in 2010 that killed 158 people, and its most recent occurring in 2020, with 21 dead; in both, pilot error was implicated. More on: Boeing Jet Explodes in Giant Fireball, Killing Hundreds
