Although much has been written and will be written in the days to come about this incredibly horrible and heart wrenching tale of Russian/Ukrainian misadventure that saw the lives of 298 innocent people aboard MH17 snuffed out in an instant, we at Payload Asia feel it our duty to pay homage to these victims of a senseless act and their loved ones who must struggle on without them. It is clearly not a cargo story, but as part of the global aviation community it rings a chord close to all our hearts, just as the human tragedy pulls so sharply at our heart strings.
While images of the everyday items of travel – suitcases, books, passports, toys, clothing – scattered across the crash site evoke heart rending emotion, the cargo manifest also brings the tragedy close to home. Within the belly hold were two dogs, birds, pigeons and chickens; various courier goods; aircraft and helicopter parts; perishables including medicines and cut flowers; technical electronic equipment; filters; horticultural products; oil well equipment; textiles and diplomatic mail. All the stuff of a more-or-less typical belly cargo shipment.
At the point of writing this note many – but still far from all – of the bodies of the victims of this international tragedy have been transported to the Netherlands. There they were given a somber, dignified and highly moving reception that befits their sad, unjust demise and hitherto ill-treatment at the hands of the thugs operating in the Ukraine. That these thugs and their cowardly backers premise their cause on some sort of moral high ground for a the greater good of reforming political boundaries based on seemingly xenophobic notions has been made absurdly irrelevant by the single push of button.
As the flight data and voice recorders are in the midst of being analysed, a great many questions remain unanswered – some perhaps never will be – with the current belief being a Russian-made SA-11 missile provided by ‘somebody’ and fired by ‘somebody’. Of course the answer to who ‘somebody’ is, being the million-dollar question.
A few things will change as a result of this mess – greater attention will henceforth be paid to international flight paths over conflict zones; a great many passengers will have lost their innocence, so-to-speak, regarding confidence of being in aircraft mid-flight (how many of us realised that ground based missile systems could reach an aircraft at cruising altitude?); and the regional conflict in Eastern Ukraine has now taken on a far sharper geopolitical angle.
Of course there is also the case of Malaysia Airlines – who in the space of less than six months has unbelievably suffered two bizarre aircraft losses and the horror of nearly 600 lost lives (the victims of that earlier mystery must also not be forgotten).
The carrier, already heavily reliant on government bailouts, now teeters on the brink of extinction. The once proud national carrier has been battered beyond belief by these untoward events and it remains to be seen what the future holds in store for it, but perhaps as the pundits point out, privatisation would be a constructive step in its recovery and revitalisation.
In the meantime as this saga continues to unfold in frustrating, chaotic and agonisingly bizarre ways, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.
