It is now six years since an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane went down just outside Addis Ababa, killing 157 passengers and crew. It was the morning of March 10th, 2019, and the ill-fated Nairobi-bound flight was ET302. Here is what i posted on my Facebook page that day:
ET703:
After an intense but immensely rewarding international conference on Religions and the Sustainable Development Goals at the Vatican, I made my way to Fiumicino. I have had the experience of missing a flight there some years ago, so I was pretty early on Saturday 9th. The check in and bag drop off counter was not open yet. I found a spot to chill until the check in desks opened. By now, there was already a dozen or so people. From the conversations of some Italians in the business class queue, I figured they were flying to Nairobi. Check in complete, i proceeded to the gate. I tried to look out for someone I had met at the conference. Victor Tsang. He had mentioned he would be on ET703 as well. A lot of work awaited at the UN Environment Assembly. I didn't see him. It's a huge plane with lots of people. ET703 lands at Bole International at Addis at about 6.25am.
ET302:
If you have transited through Bole, then you know it is a tough airport to navigate. The sheer number of people going through security and boarding gates, clearly overwhelms at times, both the facilities and staff. My connecting flight to Nairobi, ET304 is not scheduled to leave until 11.20am. It is still 7.20am, so information about which gate ET304 will board from, is not yet available on the information screens. So naturally, I go to gate 12, where ET302 to Nairobi, departing at 8.25am, is boarding from. At this point, I'm thinking, "when boarding information for ET304 is finally available, it cannot be too far from gate 12." I listen and watch nonchalantly as the final boarding calls for ET302 are made. There is a flight to Moroni boarding at the adjacent gate.
ET304:
It's now 10.50am. I had already found out, an hour earlier, that ET304 would board at gate 20. I went back upstairs. Suddenly at 10.55am, am announcement is made that ET304 to Nairobi is boarding from gate 18. Change of boarding gate. I make my way to gate 18 and soon, I am settling into seat 16L. It is a window seat, and I can see the last bags being loaded. Pre departure announcements are made. Then we wait..10..15..20 minutes.
I hardly notice the time pass as I have fallen asleep already. I'm roused from my sleep by seemingly animated conversations by the passengers behind. They are talking about a plane crash. We are already 45 minutes delayed with no word from the captain or cabin crew. Some passengers are now receiving calls...others are making calls. They are all talking about a plane crash. Then spontaneously, 6 or 7 passengers open the overhead luggage cabins and take their hand luggage, heading for the exit. Confusion reigns. No word from cabin crew. Silence from the cockpit. More news from passengers. ET302 crashed and with no survivors. More frantic calls. I try to text and call home but somehow my roaming doesn't seem to work. More passengers disembark. Through my window, I can see the luggage truck turning up. Some luggage is being offloaded. Then the captain's voice comes through the speakers: "we apologize for the delay, but will be on our way as soon as luggage has been offloaded. Luggage cannot fly without passengers". It is another 45 minutes before the push back of the plane starts. Cabin crew distribute water to passengers. 115 minutes later, we land at JKIA, Nairobi. There is rapturous applause. The relief is palpable.
Then as suddenly as the applause started, silence and a somber atmosphere engulfs the cabin as we taxi to the gate. The reality, shock, and pain of ET302 now takes centre stage. This evening, I learnt that Victor Tsang was onboard ET302. As was Karim Saafi and all the passengers and crew, some of whom I stood with at the check-in queue at Fiumicino, that didn't make it.
May God grant them eternal peace. In memory of ET302.
