They do things a little differently in Nepal. Nepal Airlines had an “electrical” issue with one of it’s two Boeing 757’s last week. The airline took the standard approach to dealing with the problem; sacrificing goats. This is from a Reuters article entitled “Airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god”.
The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft Sunday at Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.
“The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights,” said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been.
Incidentally the sky god is named Akash Bhairab. I’ve done a little reseach and I can’t find anything pertaining to airplane “snags” in conjunction with Akash Bhairab but, this is a case where you would have to trust the people in Kathmandu regarding which god to appease with goat sacrifices.
There have been times when I was waiting for a flight that was mysteriously cancelled. Also, I have seen ground crew working furiously on a plane I was about to board. Frankly, I would feel safer if the airline made it a point to sacrifice some goats in front of the plane in these cases.
Here in the western world, we just have to take the airline’s word for it; “We have fixed the snag in the plane, carry on”. We don’t ever see any evidence of repairs. It’s not like taking your car to the local grease monkey who shows you the bad fuel pump or rocker arm.
I want to know that the airline is taking every safety precaution and sacrificing goats, at the airport, in front of the plane just makes good sense. And, who says it has to be goats? This is a safety measure that could also double as pest control. Airlines could sacrifice rats, squirrels, woodchucks or snakes. Now, there’s an idea, snakes, that would ease people’s fears as well. You know, the whole “Snakes on a Plane” thing.
The airline’s could have fun with it, add a little local flavor. In Denver, sacrifice a few prairie dogs; in Dallas, armadillos; in urban centers like Chicago or New York, pigeons.
The point is, we need to keep an open mind. We don’t have all the answers and if it turns out that sacrificing a few animals now and then makes our travels safer then, so be it.
Nepal Air- “Leave the Slaying To Us”
Rock on, Nepal.
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