Latest news with #BOAC
Arabian Post
14-06-2025
- General
- Arabian Post
Calcutta Comet Torn Apart in Fierce Storm
An early-model BOAC Comet jet disintegrated in mid‑air after encountering severe turbulence shortly after departure from Dum Dum Airport near Calcutta on 2 May 1953. All 43 passengers and crew perished as the aircraft burst apart at approximately 7,500 ft and plummeted into a paddy field about 25 miles north‑west of the city. The de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1, operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation, had originated from Singapore and was en route to London, with stops scheduled in Calcutta and Delhi. Witnesses reported the plane climbing before suddenly breaking up and falling in flames—described as 'a huge boulder of fire'—as it plunged amid dense thunderstorm conditions. Investigation reports later determined that structural failure triggered the disaster. The aircraft was overstressed by severe gusts within the thunderstorm, or possibly by pilot over-control while attempting to stabilise the plane amid violent turbulence. ADVERTISEMENT Debris was scattered over a five‑mile radius, with wings and tail sections strewn across villages surrounding the crash zone. Recovery teams reported finding charred fuselage fragments and wing parts up to eight square miles away. Communications were severely disrupted by the storm, delaying rescue operations until the following morning. The loss prompted an immediate grounding of all Comet aircraft worldwide. Subsequent analysis traced design vulnerabilities—specifically fuselage fatigue exacerbated by pressurisation cycles—as contributing to the structural failure. Long‑term remedies included reinforcing cabin frames and modifying hatch and window designs. These measures led to the Comet 2 variant, re‑entering service later in the decade. That afternoon's monsoon squall had been forecasted. Weather advisories issued by Dum Dum airport warned of a powerful north‑wester moving across Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. The alert reached Calcutta and nearby airfields before departure, but the flight was allowed to proceed, possibly underestimating the severity of the impending storm. The magnitude of the crash and its implications for aviation safety were profound. As the world's first jet airliner disaster, it exposed critical design flaws in high-altitude metal fatigue and pressurisation. Aviation experts have since credited the accident with catalysing a new era of aviation engineering standards and rigorous fatigue testing. BOAC officials, alongside Indian Civil Aviation authorities, conducted detailed on-site investigations. Initial body recovery revealed only 21 victims near the main wreckage; many others were presumed destroyed in the fiery crash. Wreckage and mail bags were recovered over the following days with painstaking efforts hampered by torrential rain and impassable access roads. The tragedy sparked changes beyond engineering: it prompted aviation authorities worldwide to reassess flight clearance protocols in severe weather. Airlines adopted stricter turbulence-avoidance routes, and training for storm penetration tactics was enhanced. Structural testing regimes became more comprehensive, particularly for early-generation jetliners. More than seven decades later, the Comet's collapse north‑west of Calcutta remains a defining moment in civil aviation history. It was a stark reminder that the jet age—so marvelled for its speed—brought with it complex challenges. Engineers and regulators responded with reforms that continue to shape aircraft design and safety standards today. While the Comet's legacy lives on, modern aircraft benefit from lessons learned. Advanced composites, real‑time structural monitoring, reinforced fuselage frames and weather‑avoidance flight planning are now standard features in commercial aviation worldwide—fundamental safeguards born from the tragedy in the skies near Calcutta.
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
British jet crashes after being caught in Calcutta storm
A London-bound British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Comet crashed in flames into a paddy field about 40km northwest of Calcutta shortly after taking off from Dum Dum Saturday evening, killing 43 people on board, including two infants, ten women and a crew of six. The aircraft, on its Singapore-London flight, made a perfect take-off for Delhi at 4.30pm. The plane, according to all available reports, was caught in a storm and exploded mid-air. When the aircraft was reported overdue in Delhi, where it was scheduled to land at 6.50pm, the authorities alerted all airports and police stations to watch out for the missing Comet. In the early hours of Sunday the Indian Air Force and the BOAC sent out search planes for the missing plane. A BOAC Yorker after a brief search, located the wreckage. Although about two hours after the accident, a police station 32km from Calcutta received reports of the crash, it was not possible to rush aid due to the inaccessibility of the place where the aircraft had crashed, nor could the accident be reported to Calcutta the same night, as the storm had cut communication lines. Indian Civil Aviation (ICA) and BOAC officials visited the site on Sunday. A senior BOAC official from London was expected to arrive in Calcutta on Monday to make an on-site investigation. Mr Malhotra, accidents inspector at ICA, was also expected to arrive on Sunday night from Delhi. The wreckage will not be cleared until the investigation is over. Recovery of bodies will resume Monday. According to witnesses from villages nearby, who were hurrying home due to the impending storm, 'a huge boulder of fire in a terrific speed came exploding through black clouds and dived like a live meteor.' It was the wingless blazing cockpit and the main body of the Comet. The wings of the aircraft, which was trying to gain altitude presumably to fly above the high winds, first broke and scattered across villages spread over an area of eight square miles. The engine fell in a ditch which soon turned into an inferno. A series of explosions and screams were heard, said a villager who lives near the ditch. But the explosion prevented the villagers from rushing or organizing help to the victims. The Jangipara police station received the reports of the crash from three different villages and had accordingly recorded that three planes had crashed in that area the same evening. As the communication lines were dislocated by the storm, the report could not be sent to Calcutta until Sunday morning. The wings and some portion of the tail were found about 6km from where the engine crashed in a dried-up ditch in a vast paddy field. Of the 43 passengers only 21 bodies were found near the tangled mass of aluminium and steel of the fuselage. Quite a few were believed to have been completely burnt in the fuselage blaze which died on its own in the morning when all that was combustible had been consumed by the fire. The crash was reported to the fire brigade in the morning and the service mobilised all its petroleum fire-fighting equipment from various stations and rushed them in five units. The rain muddled the kucha road access and the equipment had to be abandoned mid way. The firemen reached the scene on foot, but found they could only salvage the stack of mail bags still smouldering. Same was the case with the hospital vans and first-aid units. Police called for large carriers of bodies instead of ambulance cars. BOAC officials in Calcutta and the ICA officers reached the spot well after mid-day, travelling 40km by car, rail and on foot. Police officers were the first to reach the spot and begin rescue work. Only after the BOAC chief in Calcutta, Mr Jones, and his staff had reached the place where the plane had crashed, the company could say that all on board the Comet were lost, although all the bodies were yet to be accounted for. Throughout the day about 200 policemen were busy collecting bodies and arranging for their transportation to Calcutta. Eighteen bodies, all gathered from near the main wreckage, were in the first lot to reach Calcutta late in the evening. Later reports said 21 bodies were brought to Howrah by a special train on the Howrah-Amta Light Railway shortly after 9pm. All the bodies except three were recovered, according to the local sub-divisional officer. It was learnt that the Dum Dum airport weather office had alerted all air stations of Bengal, Bihar, UP and Orissa that a strong north-wester with a sweeping velocity was heading towards Calcutta. The alert was signalled an hour before the doomed plane took off. It detailed the path of the wind as having reached Asansol at 2.15pm, expected at Barrackpur aerodrome (about 24km from Calcutta) at 4.30pm and at Dum Dum at 5.15pm. The bodies, brought to Howrah, were carried from the station in police vans, to a 'cool house' where they would be kept overnight before being sent on Monday for postmortem and identification. Cooling arrangements for the bodies were made on special instruction from the chief minister, Dr BC Roy, to prevent decomposition, police officials said.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Time of India
500 to travel 1.5 km: Flyers' extortion plaints prompt cop crackdown on airport rickshaws
Kolkata: Bidhannagar Police have banned entry of rickshaws — both normal cycle rickshaws, as well as retrofitted and mechanised ones — on airport premises after receiving multiple complaints from flyers about being charged exorbitant amounts by operators for short distances. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Some flyers said they were charged Rs 300-Rs 500 to travel a distance of 1 km-1.5 km. Cops also pointed out the vulnerability of the airport perimeter and chronic traffic snarls caused by these three-wheelers as key reasons for the enforcement. While the movement of rickshaws was long banned outside the terminal building, until last month, rickshaws could pick up passengers from near the AC bus stand outside the airport, less than a four-minute walk from the terminal building. Now, the growing extortion and security concern has led police to launch a crackdown. "Rickshaws often contribute to bottlenecks during peak hours. More importantly, they operate without formal registration or identity verification, raising serious security concerns," said an officer. Cops have identified around 50 rickshaw operators who mostly enter the airport premises and engage in soliciting passengers, charging higher fares for small distances. Cops said they have prosecuted a number of them. "We have received multiple complaints from flyers and started a crackdown on the rickshaws. We have banned their entry on airport premises," said the officer. Given that the airport is located very close to residential neighbourhoods, there has always been a section of flyers who take a rickshaw to the airport from Dum Dum and Nagerbazar. Over the past two weeks, officers have been seen patrolling key junctions outside the airport, like Jessore Road crossing, Gate 1, Gate 2.5, VIP Road connector, and airport entry road, warning rickshaw operators and seizing unregistered vehicles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Airport authorities have expressed support for the move, noting that increased vehicular discipline will improve passenger access and allow for better implementation of security protocols. "There have been complaints of extortion. We welcome the move by Bidhannagar police," said a senior airport official. For a long time, Kolkata airport has been among the very few airports that one could reach by rickshaw. There is also a photograph of a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) air hostess being transported from a plane to the terminal building on a cycle rickshaw. Capturing a moment of aviation history in 1952, the photograph is one of the many iconic images associated with the 100-year-old airport. This action against rickshaw drivers comes a month after police started prosecuting bike-taxi operators found picking up passengers from outside the airport's arrival zone, violating the new regulations. The airport authorities have also installed signboards mentioning that app-based two-wheelers are not allowed in the airport area, as there is no mechanism currently in place for entry fee collection from them.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is this the most elegant cabin crew uniform in the skies?
Surely I can't be the only small girl who joined the Girl Guides, mainly (alright, entirely) because she fell in love with that pillbox hat? So navy, so BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) air stewardess. Actually, I know I'm not alone, because over the past few days I've listened to cabin crew past and present tell me what they love/loved, hate/hated about their uniforms. Some worked during aviation's golden age (the Seventies), Some, flying today, have lost pride in the uniform but still love the routes, the camaraderie, the craic. Others …let's just say uniforms provoke a lot of passion and some complicated emotions. I've also been reading Emilia Wickstead's emails to me from the other side of the world, where she's about to unveil the new uniforms she's spent the best part of a year designing for the entire crew of Air New Zealand. Despite dressing some of the world's most elegant women – the Princess of Wales, Naomi Watts, Renee Zelwegger, Ruth Wilson – this gig is such a big deal to her that she began pitching for it in November 2023. A Kiwi who has spent the past two decades in London building a successful and widely admired luxury fashion house, Wickstead leapt at the opportunity to contribute to the heritage of her homeland. 'The uniform is often the first visual representation of New Zealand people see when travelling around the world. For Kiwis, it's an iconic symbol of national identity. My goal was to ensure that when people see it, they feel a sense of pride, knowing it represents both Air New Zealand and the essence of Aotearoa' (the Māori name for New Zealand). No pressure then. Working with the Māori artist Te Rangitu Netana, who specialises in tā moko (traditional Māori tattoos) and designed the prints, Wickstead gathered feedback from hundreds of Air New Zealand employees about what they did and didn't like about previous uniforms. Comfort and functionality emerged as top priorities, unsurprisingly. But what works for one person doesn't always go down well universally. Airline uniforms are worn in a unique environment, 30,000 feet in the sky. One minute crew are graciously welcoming 300 passengers on board, the next they're unblocking a sink. ' I really focussed on their needs', says Wickstead.'Every trouser and skirt was created with adjustability in mind, even allowing for ease when crew members need to sleep on long-haul flights.'' When it comes to practical, comfortable fabrics, there are new minefields to navigate. In 2023, a California jury upheld the claim that a clothing company should pay more than $1 million to four American Airlines flight attendants who blamed chemicals used in the production of their uniforms for causing a variety of ailments including rashes, headaches and breathing problems. The verdict, reported Associated Press at the time, was probably the tip of the iceberg, with another 400 claimants in the pipeline. Even though we're well past the glory days of aviation, Wickstead's spot on about national flag carriers often being the first portal to a country and its character. While service, seats and punctuality are obviously the most important metrics of any airline, a garish uniform – particularly on a long flight – becomes a visual distraction, the opposite of soothing. Which is presumably why airlines still enlist big-name designers in the hope of injecting some much-needed glamour and sleekness. Chinese airline Hainan went all in, debuting its new uniforms at Paris Couture Fashion Week in 2017. Think slim-fitted cape coats and curved-hem jackets that nodded more to Dior's 1947 New Look than to a budget departures lounge. Lord knows how they fare when it comes to heaving suitcases into overhead lockers, but full marks for aspiration. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic consciously opted for a younger, more inclusive image in 2022 when it decreed that its crews should be encouraged to embrace their individuality and display their tattoos. British Airways takes a more traditional approach, although it permits male flight attendants to choose the dress options if they wish. 'I'm all for it in theory,' says one former flight attendant, 'but in all honesty, I'm not sure how much authority they'd have in a dress when it comes to calming down unruly or drunk passengers.' Flight attendants who worked for the now-defunct American airline Braniff Airways had different challenges. Their 1970s Pucci-designed uniforms made the male crew look like extras from The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and included – I kid you not – see-through Perspex space helmets for stewardesses to wear in the airport, designed to protect their beehive hairdos. Pride, cynicism, resentment – and sometimes even humiliation – all play a part in how crews feel about their uniforms. 'Oh God, the rules we had for what we wore on the ground,' sighs a now-retired crew member from a major UK airline. 'It all changed after MeToo in 2016, but right up until then we had to wear heels in the airport, which meant carrying a spare flat pair for onboard. And for one long stretch, we had these incredibly stiff hats, again for the airport, which meant you had to lug a hatbox around so you could store them properly during the flight. I think at one point everyone lost their damn hat and if you didn't have a hat, you weren't allowed to fly. Nor was it remotely unusual, prior to 2017, to have a manager on board tell you to go and retouch your lipstick. I found it insulting – you'd be in the middle of serving dinner to 200 passengers and make-up was the priority.' These are trifling inconveniences compared with the 1960s and 1970s when female flight attendants were regularly weighed. They still are on some of the Middle Eastern and East Asian airlines, one industry insider tells me. 'It might not be a politically correct observation,' says this veteran, 'but when passengers say how elegant those cabin crew look in their national-costume uniforms, remember how petite they are. You have to be realistic about who's going to be wearing the uniforms and the kind of tasks they're performing. God knows how those crew in light or bright red uniforms cope with the stains. Give me good old navy blue.' Which brings us to British Airways, who last year introduced a comprehensive new uniform designed by Savile Row tailor Oswald Boateng. The range includes a dress, skirt, three-piece suit, hat, jumpsuit ('Totally inadvisable for life in the skies,' a veteran crew member pronounces. 'One word: loos'), as well as a hijab and tunic. Reactions among crew have been mixed. When I commented how smart it looked to a flight attendant a few months ago, they told me that it was uncomfortable and that they missed the old one. 'I don't think uniforms are the big selling point they once were,' they continued. 'I always say you can tell the newbies by how well ironed their uniform is. After a while, things get a bit slack.' Not so for Mary Meronk, an American who flew for Western Airlines from 1974 to 1987, and then for the larger carrier, Delta Air Lines, until 2020. Meronk loved her job and says wearing her various uniforms – she remembers at least eight over the course of her career – instilled her with pride. 'I would constantly get feedback from passengers that Delta Air was their all-time favourite airline,' she says. She still derives immense satisfaction from that. Meronk surfed an era when male passengers wore suits, female passengers dressed up, and 'pilots were politically incorrect and raunchy'. In the Seventies, being a member of the crew on a respected airline was, in glamorous career stakes, comparable with being an influencer in 2023. Unlike National Airlines, yet another US carrier, whose ads (which were controversial even at the time) featured hostesses breathily inviting potential passengers to 'fly me', Western promoted itself as a clean cut family airline. 'Nothing sexy,' says Meronk. 'Pacific Southwest Airlines wore neon orange/hot pink minis with boots. We wore thick red checkered polyester jumpers, blazers and skirts. We had strict appearance requirements but we would still try and shorten our skirts a couple of inches above the required top of the knee.' Most of Meronk's uniforms lasted six to eight years before they were updated. 'We had a real doozy that only lasted four. The Atlanta Times said Delta had created the ugliest uniform ever. It was humiliating to have to wear it. I spent $800 trying to get my tailor to adjust it so it would be attractive.' Meronk's next Delta uniform, by Richard Tyler, a fairly big name in fashion in the Nineties, was more successful. Incredibly, it was the first time she had a uniform that didn't require dry cleaning. 'One major snafu. Many of the flight attendants were allergic to the fabric. Some had photos of their neck and chest broken out in rashes. One girl showed a big clump of her hair missing and said it was from the fabric. Delta finally said you could buy any black suit off the rack and wear it to work in the interim before a solution was found.' The American Airlines court case clearly wasn't a one off. As for Air New Zealand's new uniform and where it ranks on the roster of all time greats? High, that much seems clear. It's distinctive but adaptable to different shapes. Personally, I have a soft spot for the memorably ludicrous ones of the past (ie Braniff's) although they must have been a pain to wear. And I'm a sucker for national dress – remember British Caledonian's kilts? So I like the Māori touches combined with Wickstead's sophisticated tailored pinstripe blazers, the classy purple crepe dresses and the pillbox (reminiscent of my Girl Guide/BOAC one). Unlike some huge names who've designed for their national carriers (including Yves Saint Laurent for Air France and Hardy Amies for British Airways) Wickstead's Air New Zealand kit features strong identifying details from the designer's own signature repertoire – such as the draped neckline, reminiscent of dresses the Princess of Wales has worn. Sophisticated as it is, as Wickstead concedes, its fate rests on its ability to function in a cramped galley on a ten hour flight. 'A beautiful design is one thing, but it has to perform.'' Rated from one (first-class style), to 10 (looks that should never have left the launch pad)... Elegant and well-cut, with drape-neck details inspired by some of the Princess of Wales's favourite dresses, this uniform is a future classic. Giving Emily in Paris vibes rather than Luton airport, Hainan launched this new uniform at couture week in 2017. Full marks for aspiration, but how would those pencil skirts look after 11 hours in a cramped galley? Delta seems to have a seven-year itch when it comes to uniforms, switching them out regularly – with varying degrees of success. One was dubbed 'the ugliest ever' by the Atlanta Times, while another sparked complaints of severe allergic reactions among crew. This one however, is a snazzy winner. Elegant, dignified, a charming taster of the country – this is everything when it comes to an airline uniform. 'But look at the Singapore crew,' an industry insider says. 'They're all petite. I think they still get weighed regularly.' Sleek, functional and multicultural (there's a hijab and tunic option), this is a pretty solid showing for British Airways's latest uniform, introduced last year and designed by Savile Row tailor Oswald Boateng. Judging by the reviews on Instagram, where Etihad's crew proudly highlight the Made in Italy labels inside their jackets, this uniform still packs some pride. In fact, the uniforms are also made in China and Tunisia, but they're 100 per cent wool and so chic that they've even been cited as an influence on some of the Princess of Wales's recent burgundy outfits. Designed in 1970 by Hanae Mori, this uniform is so natty, cute and strangely subversive that it must surely have appeared on Miuccia Prada's mood boards when she worked on recent Miu Miu collections. The half a dozen uniforms Emilio Pucci designed for Braniff Airways between 1965 and 1974 belong to an era when flying to Mallorca or Madrid felt like the pinnacle of luxury. Part of Braniff's mission was to bring about the 'end of the Plain Plane,' with one iteration featuring a Perspex rain dome to protect the hostesses' beehives. This one's a bit like Marmite. It looks crisp and striking in the pictures, but in real life, the combination of polyester fibres and a harsh red can be garish and oddly distracting when you're trying to relax on board. After all, nobody needs more red on the red-eye. A short-lived foray into aviation from America's least woke fast food chain. Launched with stupendously bad timing – just two years after two aircraft crashed into America's most iconic buildings – this cheap and 'cheeky' venture lasted only three. Who would've given it that long? Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
Memories of Kai Tak, Hong Kong's iconic airport, renowned for its dramatic landings
Explore the captivating history of Hong Kong's legendary Kai Tak Airport, famous for its challenging landings, thrilling flight path low over the Kowloon skyline and, of course, it's rather distinctive welcoming aroma for air travellers. Advertisement From its vibrant beginnings to its closure in 1998, delve into unforgettable memories, pioneering flights, and the airport's lasting impact on the city and its residents. When Kai Tak Airport closed after 73 years of operation it had become an icon of the city and a civic treasure renowned worldwide for its challenging landings. Revisit the airport's vibrant history, its impact on the residents of Kowloon living directly under its approach path, and the unforgettable experiences of passengers and pilots. Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport was renowned for its thrilling landings and its dramatic approaches over Kowloon. But it was also a place where local kids gathered to do their homework thanks to the ever-present air con, and one which greeted air travellers with a rather distinctive smell. Discover the fascinating history of the first 'direct' flight from Hong Kong to London as reported by the South China Morning Post. The pioneering air service was not quite as direct as modern airlines would envisage the term as the flight took an epic 11 days, with stops in exotic locations such as Penang, Saigon, and Cairo. The Kai Tak runway under construction in the mid-1950s. Picture: Dragages Hong Kong A de Havilland Comet 4 in the livery of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the first jet-engined aircraft to land at Kai Tak on September 11, 1958. Explore the runway's construction, its significance in Hong Kong's place in global aviation, and the iconic aircraft that landed there. A Cathay Pacific Airways DC-3 took off at 8.30pm on July 18, 1959, in a landmark event that marked Hong Kong's first ever night flight. The short 20-minute trip carrying newsmen and assembled special guests was made possible by Kai Tak Airport's new runway lighting system. Part of this article was produced with the assistance of generative AI
