A SUCCESSFUL JOURNEY

On the morning of January 20, 1984, a Thai Airways Boeing 747 took off from Karachi, heading west, at an altitude of 29,000 feet. At the same time, an Indian Airlines flight was scheduled to depart from Bombay for Delhi, also at 29,000 feet. Just before departure, it was discovered that the Thai Airways plane was already flying along the same path. Had the Indian Airlines pilot taken off as planned, the two planes would have collided over Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh. Both aircrafts, with all passengers, would have been destroyed (The Times of India, January 25, 1984).

Air traffic control received this information at the very last moment. They immediately told the Indian Airlines captain: either fly at a lower altitude of 25,000 feet, or delay takeoff by 25 minutes if you wish to fly at 29,000 feet. The captain chose the second option and took off 25 minutes later. In this way, both planes avoided a mid-air collision. According to the original schedule, the Indian Airlines flight would have passed over Mandsaur at 7:00 a.m., but after the change, it crossed at 7:30 a.m. An Indian Airlines officer commented on the incident:

“It was a miracle which saved passengers on both aircrafts.”

In a broader sense, life works the same way. If you want to fly at “29,000 feet,” remember that others are also flying at that height. In such a situation, you have only two choices: either ignore others and go ahead and then perish while setting a false example of sacrifice; or show the “miracle” of adjustment—either by flying lower to get ahead or by delaying your flight by “half an hour.” In both cases, you succeed and reach your destination safely.