by Air India and Akasa Discover Creative Excuse for Poor Service
Indian airlines Air India and Akasa grounded numerous flights this week after an Ethiopian volcano erupted, marking the first time in aviation history that carriers have blamed natural disasters occurring 3,000 miles away for their persistent inability to maintain scheduled service.
The volcano, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region, has produced an ash cloud that airlines claim poses a risk to aircraft, despite the fact that most cancelled flights were domestic Indian routes that don’t go anywhere near East Africa or require flying through Ethiopian airspace.
“Safety is our top priority,” explained Air India spokesperson Vikram Kapoor while nervously avoiding eye contact. “When we learned about volcanic activity in Ethiopia, we immediately decided to cancel our Delhi-to-Mumbai flights, because you can never be too careful about ash clouds that are literally on a different continent.”
Aviation experts expressed confusion about the cancellations, noting that volcanic ash protocols typically apply to aircraft flying near the affected region, not planes operating several thousand kilometers away. However, airline officials defended their decision, pointing out that “ash can travel” whil
SOURCE: Bohiney.com (Radhika Vaz)
