Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Meaning of Mayday Call The Air India Pilot Sent

Ahmedabad Plane Crash:  The Air India pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwa,l issued a ‘Mayday’ call to Air Traffic Control shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took flight from the Ahmedabad airport to London’s Gatwick Airport.

A Mayday call is the highest signal of distress or life threatening emergency that a pilot can issue in times of an aviation crisis. It is an internationally recognised distress signal used majorly in aviation and maritime communications. 

Originating from the French word “m'aide,r” meaning “help me”, the term was first introduced in the 1920s and is a standard protocol today. 

Learn more about the term “Mayday” in the video.