Ignore cabin crew safety demonstrations at your peril

Towards the end of 2018 some incidents occurred at the country’s aviation sector which attracted different reactions from Nigerians especially the air traveling class.

Each of the incidents added to the complex situation on ground and further put the sector on a front page amongst comity of nations no thanks to the rampant use of the social media networks available by different people to address such sensitive issues that were meant to be handled by the relevant aviation authorities.

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Among such incidents which became more controversial in the immediate past year,  involved one of the leading domestic airlines the country can boast of today, Air Peace when its Lagos/Enugu bound aircraft suffered depressurization with the oxygen masks on board dropping for passengers to use for safety precaution.

The melee and reactions that followed the incident cannot be forgotten in a hurry because of the narratives given by passengers on board the affected flight and many other interested parties.

Once again, who wants to die anyway?; therefore, when one is confronted with such scary situations, the actions and inactions that follow can no longer be controlled.

Inasmuch as everyone is still awaiting the report of the investigations into what actually transpired on the  day in question, one obvious thing observed in the drama was that many Nigerian air travelers while on board flights hardly take time to listen to the crew members while demonstrating the safety procedures to put into action in the face of any eventuality.

In most cases whenever the beautiful and handsome crew members demonstrate these critical measures including how to make use of oxygen masks, put on the safety jackets or look for the emergency exit points nearest to each passenger, rather than listen attentively, many passengers will either prefer to gist away or engage in other things or feign ‘big man’ syndrome.

Unknown to this class of passengers, such safety demonstrations can be needed on any flight for so many reasons which may suddenly occur when an aircraft is already airborne.

Depressurization can be described as an unusual occurrence that happens in air transport system which could be caused by many reasons such as turbulence or malfunction in the system which is not peculiar to Nigerian airlines.

Because the issue of aircraft losing cabin pressure is not a Nigerian thing, there is the need for Nigerian travelers to understand this fact and at the same time take more interest in safety issues on board flights.

This appeal becomes pertinent in the sense that when such emergency cases occur, many passengers out of fear or ignorance on what to do, often endanger their lives speedily by not knowing how to apply the safety measures earlier demonstrated to them while on board.

It’s on record that there are many who can be described as regular travelers and yet cannot even fasten seat belts properly not to talk of making use of the oxygen mask or floating jacket during emergencies.

Such passengers do not only easily succumb to any ‘May Day, May Day’ situation on board their flights but quick to blackmail the airline and even the regulatory agencies for their ignorance.

It is not only in Nigeria that oxygen masks are deployed. If it can happen to mega airlines like British Airways, Emirates, Air China, Singapore Airlines and  Rynair of this world whose aircraft had suffered loss of cabin pressure, then it is not peculiar to Nigeria.

In most cases, these situations can suddenly be triggered by many reasons including climatic change, hydraulic problem and other natural phenomenon which no one has control over.

It is based on these sensitive components of aircraft and nature that passengers whenever they are confronted with such situation should learn to apply the safety rules they have been taught by the crew.

While thanking God for  an accident free 2018, every key player must play his role well. In other words, the airlines should embrace safety as their watch word by ensuring their aircraft are well maintained, the regulatory agencies particularly the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should carry out its safety oversight functions religiously just as the traveling passengers should not take for granted safety issues like how to use oxygen masks, tightening of  seat belts and use of life jackets.

In the cause of emergencies, while the crew members will have so much to contend with, they will definitely expect the meticulous and obedient passengers to put into action the safety rudiments they have been taught.

The need for the Nigerian traveling public to take more seriously the safety measures demonstrated by the cabin crew members will safe them a lot of pains and phobia if they are faced with such situations when they travel out of the country where emergency cases are even more rampant.

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