Chennai - Who Knew?

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So there I was flying to the Mediterranean catching up on all the latest release movies that I hadn’t seen when the pilot makes an announcement, “We are going to land in Madras in ten minutes.” Now, let me assure you, this was not a scheduled stop on my journey from Melbourne. This also explained the scene I had witnessed moments earlier when stewards were hurriedly ushering people back to their seats from the queue for the toilets. At first I thought that this was due to upcoming turbulence, but now I knew better. It was at this point that I peered out my window and noticed that gallons of fuel were being jettisoned from the wing of the aircraft, at which point the pilot was again heard, this time explaining that, “You may have noticed that fuel is being jettisoned from the wing. Don’t worry, this is entirely normal.” I found this final statement a little incredulous, especially when recalling the earlier announcement which also informed us that there was “smoke in the flight deck” - which loosely translates to “fire in the cockpit!”

Before you could say, “We’re in a serious predicament here!” I observed the ships anchored off the southern coast of India, followed by the slums of Chennai, incongruously situated beside exclusive golf courses, wondering what was going to happen next.

Upon landing, fire trucks came screaming up the plane, yet we were told to just sit tight whilst they figured out the cause of the problem. After a couple of hours, the problem was identified and we were informed that we would be taking off again in about an hour - how wrong they were! From my vantage point over the wing, I noticed that when they tried to refuel the plane, the fuel simply gushed out of the wing, spilling onto the tarmac by the gallon. More fire trucks ensued and much water was sprayed on the jet fuel to prevent it from igniting. Feeling a little precarious in my surroundings, I was relieved to hear that, after spending six hours on the tarmac, we would be staying the night in Chennai whilst another plane was sent out from Dubai.

How can I explain Chennai airport adequately? It is obviously not set up for international jumbo jets, let alone to accommodate that number of passengers. There were many highly animated conversations taking place when our passports were taken from us without explanation. It must have been for the purposes of Visas or onward flights, but we were left uninformed and had to part with this highly treasured possession. From here, I found my way to a rubbish dump, which was the taxi bay and stood upon some cardboard, iron and plaster until I was ushered into a vehicle which would take me to our accommodation for the night. What a journey this proved to be! Having not been to India before, it was a thrill to once again be amidst the throng of a developing civilisation, with two lanes being used for four vehicles abreast, then scooters and motorbikes filling the gaps with road rules disarmingly non-existent and traffic lights being purely aesthetic. Occasionally, there was even a sacred cow in the middle of the masses. Defying logic, our driver avoided an accident and dropped us off at a hotel that had the most delicious Indian food I have eaten in some time and I then caught a few hours of sleep. Don’t go thinking that this was a solid block of sleep either, as reception rang three times during the night, including 3am and 4am to inform me of changes to my flight time.

Eventually, we were all transported back to the airport and boarded a flight bound for Dubai. The most hilarious aspect of this process was the passport distribution, with a few hundred people gathered like lost sheep, vainly listening out for their name to be called by one of two Indian fellows. Once again, tempers were flared and patience was a rare commodity. I kept my distance from the irrational and the sleep deprived and waited out the storm until we set foot upon the gangway to our newly arrived jumbo. Impressively, Emirates had organised all of our connections, even those that weren’t with Emirates and everyone was given 20,000 frequent flyer miles, so they have gained a few ticks from me in that regard. Once I boarded the new plane, I picked up where I left off and ordered another scotch on the rocks, hoping that this time my planes would land where they were supposed to and I could begin my Easter Holiday in the Mediterranean.

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Comments

[Ben]

oh boy!!!
Wow that is some travel story. that is going to take some serious out doing. Hope the rest of you trip goes to plan.