Jet airhostess falls from aircraft

Just a week after the retrenchment drama, a Jet airhostess accidentally fell from an aircraft at the Delhi airport while she was trying to close the plane’s door, reports Sidhartha Roy.

Bad times don’t seem to end for the cabin crew of Jet Airways.

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Just a week after the retrenchment drama, a Jet airhostess accidentally fell from an aircraft at the Delhi airport on Friday morning while she was trying to close the plane’s door.

Around 8 a.m. at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, a Jet Airways Delhi-Mumbai flight was preparing to fly. The airhostess fell on the tarmac while trying to close the aircraft door.

Sources said she fell headfirst and was immediately rushed to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj.

“She did not received any serious injury and is doing fine now. However, she hasn't been discharged from the hospital as doctors want to keep her under observation for some time,” said a Jet Airways spokesman. He said the airline was bearing all expenses for the treatment.

He said that the airhostess, whose name was not disclosed by the airline, slipped while trying to close the door. “The aircraft was a Boeing 737, which is not a wide-bodied plane, and was therefore not too high from the ground.”

An airport official said the incident created some commotion at the airside after the incident. “Other cabin crew of Jet Airways accompanied the airhostess to the hospital. Many airhostesses wear high heels and that sometimes make them trip,” he said.

Sources said there are laid down procedures for the cabin crew on how to close an aircraft door but these are not followed many times.

“As you extend your hand outside to reach the door and close it, your other hand should firmly hold on to another handle. Preferably, cabin crew should wear a strap while doing so to eliminate any chances of getting injured,” an airport official said.

Freak accidents like these are not uncommon at the IGI Airport. In August this year, an airline official got seriously injured and was hospitalised after his foot got stuck in a mechanised step-ladder.