A changed outlook
These days, media professionals are finding it difficult to shift both their thoughts and writing from the doomed Cypriot airliner. They tend to be neglecting other current affairs, and there are many which are very important, including the country’s rising prices – a problem which cannot be blamed on simple profiteering but must have deeper roots. There is also the Cyprus problem, which is entering a critical phase now with the scheduled launch of Turkey’s EU accession talks looming. The Cyprus issue may not be one that «sells» anymore but it did have a decisive impact on the domestic stage for the past five decades. But what can we say about these issues? For nearly two weeks now, reports have been full of words such as decompression, automatic pilot, black boxes, collision, and the chilling jargon of morgue workers. It will take some time until life returns to normal. Air travel is said to be the safest form of travel, as it has the smallest death toll per thousand passengers than any other form of transport. However, these statistics – even if they are true – are of little comfort to us when we board an aircraft. An experienced pilot once told me that airplanes are so tough and well-made so as to be virtually invincible. I repeat his words to myself every time I travel, but each time the aircraft lands I say to myself: «we made it, once again…»
