We landed in New Delhi on January 25, 2001 after flying almost 8 hours from London Gatwick. The airline had a contract to fly Indian Muslims to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the annual Haj from Bangalore, Madras and New Delhi.
That night we had a party in a hotel room that lasted until the wee hours of the morning. I had just fallen asleep when I felt the bed shake. My first thought was that it was someone under the bed making a practical joke. I quickly dismissed this idea when I saw that the base of the bed was too close to the floor for anyone to fit under it.
At breakfast, someone said that his bathroom was shaking and that he had cut himself while shaving. The consensus was that there must have been an earthquake. This was confirmed by a waiter who told us that there had been a massive earthquake in Gujarat province that had killed thousands of people. New Delhi was approximately 700 kilometers from the epicenter. He added that it was the National Day of India.
After breakfast we paid our bar bills and moved to another hotel. Over the next 5 days we fly scheduled flights from Haj to Jeddah. Then we were asked to reposition the plane to Bangalore, in the south of the country. Bangalore has a lot of high-tech industry and is known as the IT capital of India.
For the next 10 days we flew Indian Muslims from Bangalore to Jeddah. Block time was just over six hours with 362 passengers and 13 crew, bringing us close to the maximum gross take-off weight of 466,000 pounds. Overnight crews in Jeddah took over the incoming plane and flew it empty to Bangalore.
One of the other airlines contracting with the national flag carrier had been involved in an incident in Ahmedabad and because of this there was an urgent need for a replacement aircraft. We were asked to relocate to Ahmedabad to fly in three sectors back to Jeddah. Ahmedabad was near the epicenter of the recent earthquake in Gujarat.
This relocation directive to Ahmedabad almost caused a riot among our crew members. Earthquakes were cited in other parts of the world where diseases had prevailed and buildings had collapsed across the country. These examples of natural disasters were exaggerated a bit to justify convincingly not going to Ahmedabad.
Despite objections, all crew members were eventually persuaded to board the aircraft. During preparations for departure, several phone calls were made to various embassies in New Delhi seeking advice on whether it was safe to be in Ahmedabad. Almost without exception, embassy staff advised against him given the proximity to Gujarat. The plane departed with much controversy and many lively conversations, particularly among the group of pilots.
About 90 minutes later we were parked on the platform in Ahmedabad. The steps fell into place and the door opened, but no one got out. One of the flight engineers approached the front of the cockpit to address the crew members. His opening statement was to remind everyone that our contracts did not cover operation in natural disaster areas and, in the event of an accident, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to claim compensation. He went on to say that his embassy had strongly advised him not to disembark in Ahmedabad. He recommended that no one else disembark. Nobody got up from their seats!
A doctor was called to the airport to report on the disease situation in the city, as well as the structural integrity of the buildings. I couldn’t see how he could comment on the latter – he was a doctor and not a civil engineer!
The doctor finally arrived and clearly stated that disease was not a factor in the city and that he had seen very little damage to the buildings. At this point, someone in the back stood up and yelled, “Is the Holiday Inn still standing?”
As the situation was spiraling out of control, Fleet Commander L1011 approached the front of the cockpit to make a statement. He began by saying that no one had to get off the plane if they did not agree with the doctor’s assessment. He then said that he could not fly the Tristar to Jeddah alone and called in a volunteer first mate and flight engineer. I raised my hand like a tall flight engineer from North Carolina did. Now he needed a cabin crew. I talked to one of the senior girls about the idea of creating a crew for the first flight in the morning. As an incentive, I offered to host a party in my room at the Holiday Inn, adding that it would be a lot more fun than sleeping on the plane. Within 20 minutes, 10 girls volunteered, including herself, for the first of three scheduled return flights to Jeddah.
The 13 of us, 3 technicians and 10 from the cabin, got into 4 taxis and headed to the city. The rest of our group, who didn’t want to take any chances, checked into the airport hotel where they stayed until the end of the short tour.
The operational team stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown. We had a great time with parties in the room on a rotating basis every other night after returning from Saudi Arabia. The only structural damage in the hotel that I could see was in the cafeteria, where there was a 10 meter long crack in the back wall. The cafeteria had a very high ceiling. Walking through the city I saw very little damage to the buildings.
That first night I received a call from the airline asking for an assessment of the situation. I replied that in my opinion the many complaints and prevailing negative attitude was a clear case of exaggeration, and that we did not expect the hotel to collapse on our ears anytime soon. I added that we had a doctor’s assurance that there was no risk of disease.
We completed the three sectors back to Jeddah without incident and then we were reassigned to Madras, or Chennai as it is now called. Ten days of flying to Jeddah from Madras completed the first part of the Haj and we had 12 days off before the start of the Haj back. I returned home to Chiang Mai to spend time with my wife, while others flew home to their families in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
I must admit that while having breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Ahmedabad, I had that 10 meter crack on the back wall of my peripheral vision. The hotel staff I spoke to did not seem concerned at all. Perhaps they had had the opinion of a structural engineer, or perhaps not.