Demand for fear of flying therapy spikes after Air India disaster
A therapy course designed to help people conquer their fear of flying has seen a huge spike in demand after over 200 people lost their lives in the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad.
The disaster that occurred moments after take-off two weeks ago, has since prompted a substantial rise in enquiries for the programme.
Retired Air Force officer Dinesh K., 55, runs Cockpit Vista, India's sole "fear of flying solutions" centre, located in Bengaluru. His $500 course, which combines flight simulation with counselling, has received more than 100 enquiries since the crash, a stark contrast to its previous average of about ten a month.
Dinesh explains his approach to overcoming aerophobia: "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution." During a tour of his facility, he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often unnerve passengers.
The centre is equipped with simulators for both Boeing and Cessna planes, allowing participants to experience landings and take-offs from a pilot's perspective. This immersive experience aims to help individuals understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger, thereby alleviating their anxieties.
WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash, while others said it was "too hard on the brain".
A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the 12 June accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests.
Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft - Boeing or Airbus - while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether.
"I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash.
Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world.
Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers by research firm Prodege found 55 per cent of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38 per cent had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans.
Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched.
Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organisation said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report.
Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on take off, according to Airbus' website.
The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet (198.12 m) after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building - all within 60 seconds.
The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, five mental health experts said.
People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said.
Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they are constantly checking messages to see if they have landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel.
In Bengaluru, the $500 Cockpit Vista course is spread over 14 hours and led by Dinesh, who oversaw ground operations during the undeclared 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. He also offers to accompany worried clients on the first flights they take after completing the course.
Since the crash, many travellers fear travelling with Air India and are seeking alternative airlines, according to Jaya Tours, a mid-sized booking agency in Mumbai.
Taken over by the Tata Group from the Indian government in 2022, Air India continues to face criticism for poor service and an outdated fleet. This year, the airline was also warned about flying three Airbus planes which lacked mandatory inspection checks on escape slides.
The Indian Association of Tour Operators, which represents more than 1,600 agents, said overall flight bookings dropped by 15-20 per cent soon after the Air India crash, while 30-40 per cent of booked tickets were also cancelled.
"We are getting very unusual questions about aircraft type. Earlier passengers didn't really care about what kind of aircraft it is," said the group's president, Ravi Gosain.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
Demand for fear of flying therapy spikes after Air India disaster
A therapy course designed to help people conquer their fear of flying has seen a huge spike in demand after over 200 people lost their lives in the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad. The disaster that occurred moments after take-off two weeks ago, has since prompted a substantial rise in enquiries for the programme. Retired Air Force officer Dinesh K., 55, runs Cockpit Vista, India's sole "fear of flying solutions" centre, located in Bengaluru. His $500 course, which combines flight simulation with counselling, has received more than 100 enquiries since the crash, a stark contrast to its previous average of about ten a month. Dinesh explains his approach to overcoming aerophobia: "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution." During a tour of his facility, he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often unnerve passengers. The centre is equipped with simulators for both Boeing and Cessna planes, allowing participants to experience landings and take-offs from a pilot's perspective. This immersive experience aims to help individuals understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger, thereby alleviating their anxieties. WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash, while others said it was "too hard on the brain". A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the 12 June accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests. Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft - Boeing or Airbus - while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. "I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash. Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers by research firm Prodege found 55 per cent of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38 per cent had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched. Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organisation said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report. Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on take off, according to Airbus' website. The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet (198.12 m) after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building - all within 60 seconds. The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, five mental health experts said. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they are constantly checking messages to see if they have landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel. In Bengaluru, the $500 Cockpit Vista course is spread over 14 hours and led by Dinesh, who oversaw ground operations during the undeclared 1999 Kargil war between India and Pakistan and retired as an Air Force wing commander in 2014. He also offers to accompany worried clients on the first flights they take after completing the course. Since the crash, many travellers fear travelling with Air India and are seeking alternative airlines, according to Jaya Tours, a mid-sized booking agency in Mumbai. Taken over by the Tata Group from the Indian government in 2022, Air India continues to face criticism for poor service and an outdated fleet. This year, the airline was also warned about flying three Airbus planes which lacked mandatory inspection checks on escape slides. The Indian Association of Tour Operators, which represents more than 1,600 agents, said overall flight bookings dropped by 15-20 per cent soon after the Air India crash, while 30-40 per cent of booked tickets were also cancelled. "We are getting very unusual questions about aircraft type. Earlier passengers didn't really care about what kind of aircraft it is," said the group's president, Ravi Gosain.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark bag a surprise new series of their show after their Bafta triumph
FIRST they took a trip to Italy, then India and now Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark are off on another Grand Tour adventure. I can reveal the duo are making a third series of their acclaimed BBC Two travelogue even though the second season, which they filmed last year, is yet to air. 9 It comes after the popularity of Rob & Rylan's Grand Tour among viewers and critics alike led the show to scoop a telly Bafta. An insider said: 'The success of the show was as much a surprise to the boys as it was to anyone else because it was almost a TV experiment. 'What would happen if you take two people — one from highbrow culture, the other from pop culture — and send them off on their travels? The answer is hilarious, moving and educational telly, loved by both the viewers, critics and the execs alike. 'It's relatively early days yet, and it's not clear where the third series will take them.' The first series of Rob and Rylan's cultural adventure took them from Venice to Florence and Rome, and bagged them the Factual Entertainment gong at the Baftas TV Awards in May, beating the BBC's ratings hit, Race Across the World. Receiving his gong, a stunned Rylan said: 'This is so surreal, thank you so much to Bafta for this. We didn't know what we were making when we first landed in Venice. 'We were in the edit and we watched it for the first time and I turned to Rob and said: 'We're either going to get cancelled or win a Bafta. I'm so glad it was the latter. A year or so on, we're different people because of that show.' Rylan shares first look at epic new adventure with Rob Rinder as they jet to India for hit BBC travel series 9 Stephen's career is back on track STEPHEN TOMPKINSON is back – and he's just wrapped filming on a very steamy movie. These exclusive shots show him in his role as railway pioneer George Stephenson who – invented locomotive engine the 'Rocket' – for an upcoming drama-documentary about how the first steam-powered passenger line came into being. 9 9 Stephen, who has starred in Wild At Heart and DCI Banks, was spotted filming in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, alongside actor Michael Hodgson for The First Five Miles, which focuses on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The project marks his first screen role since being cleared of GBH in 2023, after an altercation with a drunk man outside his home. Good to have you back, Stephen. 9 9 New Beeb show FILMING has begun on the new series of the BBC's acclaimed comedy We Might Regret This. By Lee Getty and Kyla Harris, the show focusses on Freya (Kyla Harris) and Abe's (Darren Boyd) engagement and wedding planning. But their views on marriage day quickly hit a sticking point. Oti: We ignore judges OTI MABUSE has given away a Strictly secret that could infuriate the show's judges – including sister Motsi. The two-times Glitterball champion, who left the BBC One series in 2022, revealed the pro dancers ignore the judges' comments, and tell their celebrity partners to do the same. 9 She says: 'With the judges, I know a lot of the professionals say, 'We're listening, but we're not taking it in'. 'The goal is not what the judges think, the goal is what the celebs think.' Speaking on Mo Gilligan's podcast, Oti added: 'You really care about your partners and want to protect them, so I'm like 'Look, [the judges] are going to have their opinion, I just need you to focus on our journey.' Her next meeting with Motsi might be awkward . . . Titanic's a tonic for Noel NOEL EDMONDS has a typically niche method of ensuring his New Zealand vineyard enjoys a winning harvest – blasting out music from the Titanic soundtrack. And the veteran TV presenter enlists the help of head groundsman Jason, who is also a pianist. 9 Viewers of his Kiwi Adventure series, which continues tonight on ITV1, will see Noel towing Jason around the vineyard on a trailer while he's tinkling the ivories, playing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. Explaining his idea to workers at his River Haven estate, Noel said that in a study conducted half a century ago, 'The rice field which had the music played in it, the yield increased between 25 and 60 per cent'. But with the threat of frost on his crops, he added: 'It's a strange business to be involved in. I wouldn't recommend it if you want to make money.' Handy if you fancy a tipple in the evenings, mind. Kate's Goggle shocks KATE BOTTLEY starred in five series of Gogglebox, but the vicar says the experience was like 'consensual exploitation'. Kate left the Channel 4 show in 2016 after deciding it was taking too high a toll on her family life for too little financial reward. 9 She told the Walking The Dog podcast: 'My kids spent two and a half years sitting in their bedrooms on nights they came to film. My kids didn't have friends round, couldn't have help with their homework. 'We got paid very little, but I cooked two nights a week for the crew. The money we got went on the electricity, the internet they were using and being hospitable to six people in my home two nights a week. 'It got to the point where we were overwhelmed by it.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
The $500 course helping travellers conquer their fear of flying
Demand for fear-of-flying therapy has surged in India following the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad. Retired Air Force officer Dinesh K. runs Cockpit Vista in Bengaluru, India's sole "fear of flying solutions" centre. His $500 course, which combines flight simulation and counselling, received over 100 enquiries after the crash, a significant increase from its previous average. The widely shared 59-second CCTV footage of the crash, which killed 260 people, is identified as a primary cause of heightened anxiety among Indian travellers. The Indian Association of Tour Operators said the crash led to a 15 to 20 per cent drop in overall flight bookings and cancellations, with travellers becoming more selective about airlines and aircraft types.
