Mangoes ground Air India flight

[soton]

In a bizarre incident, an Air India flight on Saturday was not only forced to make an emergency landing but also grounded after a fire alarm went off apparently due to fumes emanating from its cargo hold containing mangoes.
The AI-127 Delhi-Frankfurt-Chicago flight, which took off from New Delhi at 2 am on Saturday, had to make an emergency landing in Bucharest in Romania at 11:30 am (IST) as the pilots noticed a fire alarm. The aircraft was flying to Frankfurt en route to Chicago.

The Boeing 747, carrying 190 passengers apart from the crew, was thoroughly checked by the airport engineers and it was noticed that a section of the cargo area was emitting fumes.
“It was found that the cargo contained mangoes and the reason for the fumes was perhaps the chemicals used to ripen the mangoes,” AI officials told Deccan Herald in Delhi. "No trace of fire was detected during an inspection of the plane," an airport spokesman told AFP in Bucharest.

The fire alarm also caused inconvenience to the passengers and the airline. Air India has no ground engineers at Bucharest airport.

Besides, the airport authorities do not give permission for an aircraft, which made emergency landing, to take off unless the airline engineers certify it fit to fly or “airworthy.”

“We are making arrangements for our engineers to fly from either Paris or Frankfurt to Bucharest. Also, there is need for a fresh set of crew to be sent. So the aircraft is grounded at present,” sources said, denying that passengers went without food on the aircraft.

Air India officials claimed that the airline had made arrangements for the passengers to fly to Chicago. But passengers had another story to tell. Some of them, who contacted Deccan Herald, claimed that the airline told them that they would be accommodated in hotels but had to pay transit visa fee. The passengers protested. The Indian embassy officials had to intervene to resolve the issue so that passengers were not burdened.

Praveen Damodaran and Kavitha Nagaraj, two passengers from Bangalore, said they were stranded at the airport without any information or assistance from the Air India staff. The couple and their two children, five-year-old Abhilasha and infant Kashma, told their relatives in Bangalore over the phone that they had no information on when they would leave the Bucharest airport.

In response, an Air India spokesman in Mumbai said: “In the given situation, Air India with the help of local assistance (whatever available then) did endeavour to take care of passengers needs in terms of food and beverage to tide over the situation. It was a long-haul flight and there was no problem for food or beverages.”

The flight will leave tomorrow (Sunday) morning (local time).

Emergency landing


* Aircraft makes an emergency landing at Bucharest airport in Romania after a fire alarm goes off.

* Alarm sets off after smoke emanates from cargo hold, containing mangoes.

* AI to fly engineers from Paris or Frankfurt to Bucharest

* Passengers stranded at Bucharest airport are clueless on when the aircraft will take off.

* Chemicals used to ripen mangoes have properties to emit smoke.


http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...ai-flight.html

[Smiling Creed]

Aren't all AI International flights grounded due to pilot's strike???

[insaan]

I support it.

I would rather have the flight grounded when a fire alarm goes off, than speculating what might be the cause behind it.

It is easy to laugh at them, but one must appreciate that they followed the standard safety precaution. Better safe and stupid, than dead.

[Namak_Halaal]

Pakistani Mangoes are the best.

[insaan]

Originally Posted by Namak_Halaal Pakistani Mangoes are the best.

A case of exploding mangoes, was certainly one of the best.

[Senman]

I think Soton is not getting enough results on Anti-India articles in his search engine. Try harder mate try Google.com

[Spetsnaz]

Originally Posted by Namak_Halaal Pakistani Mangoes are the best.

lol .... only in Pakistan.

Alphonso is the king of the mangoes .........and the best of them come from my part of the world .......namely the Deogarh and Ratnagiri ......
They draw Premium in export markets.

Alphonso the best in the mango world.

[LethalSami]

^^Langra's are the best............

Langra literally translates into "one-legged" mango

[Spetsnaz]

Originally Posted by LethalSami ^^Langra's are the best............ Langra literally translates into "one-legged" mango

Alphonso rules the world !!!

One of the most expensive and sought after mangoes in the world.

People go head over heals just to get a taste of this heavenly nectar ........... simply the best ......... all the langadas , kesras, ratols, dusseharis and chonsas come distant second.......

Infact Alphonso is also very popular with many renowned International Chefs .........

[Badsha]

I've had Alphonso mangoes.



Don't beat "anwar rathore". Best Mangoes ever!

[justarslan]

Forget Indo Pak mangoes. They are good but Taiwan have the most delicious mangoes. Mexico have the worst.

[Badsha]

Originally Posted by justarslan Forget Indo Pak mangoes. They are good but Taiwan have the most delicious mangoes. Mexico have the worst.

Nah. Indo Pak mangoes ftw!

[velu]

south indian mangoes are the best

Esp the raw parrot nose mangoes ( diretc translation )

[shahrukh619]

No one is concerned about the flight, just discussing who hsa the better mangoes...




btw, arn't Pak magoes famous in the world?:p

[velu]

Originally Posted by shahrukh619 No one is concerned about the flight, just discussing who hsa the better mangoes... btw, arn't Pak magoes famous in the world?:p

no..
the word mango itself is a malayalam/tamil word

[Garuda]

From Beef biryani to mangoes ??

Seems anti-India articles are in shortage these days.

[90MPH]

One thing I love about Pakistan is the mangoes. For me no other mango no matter what country comes close to Pakistani mangoes taste and sweetness.

[RWAC]

Dussehri are the best. India in 4 weeks

[Spetsnaz]

Originally Posted by Badsha I've had Alphonso mangoes. Don't beat "anwar rathore". Best Mangoes ever!

lol....

The whole world croons for Alphonso and not some anwar shanwar...

For a pakistani anything indian being lauded as the best is too much to digest.

Ask which is the costliest....... Alphonso or some rathore ...

You say you had the Alphonso...how much did it cost you.

Alphonso is sought by presidents to queens to the greatest chefs and hotel restaurants in the world.

so stop lying....

[Badsha]

Originally Posted by Spetsnaz lol.... The whole world croons for Alphonso and not some anwar shanwar... For a pakistani anything indian being lauded as the best is too much to digest. Ask which is the costliest....... Alphonso or some rathore ... You say you had the Alphonso...how much did it cost you. Alphonso is sought by presidents to queens to the greatest chefs and hotel restaurants in the world. so stop lying....

I'm not anti Indian.


Indians have better bananas. You should know that there is no universal "best".

Everyone has their own preferences.

[Spetsnaz]

Originally Posted by Badsha I'm not anti Indian. Indians have better bananas. You should know that there is no universal "best". Everyone has their own preferences.

And the world prefers Alphonso as the best. Its favorite for its unmatchable aroma, taste, texture and colour. It cuts like a butter and peels like a banana. Its pulp takes one to heaven. Thats why it charges a premium in the world market.


Pakistan = Pakistani mangoes are the best.

Rest of the world = Indian Alphonso is the best.


That pretty much tells the story.

[90MPH]

What do you mean rest of the world ? Typical arrogant Indian. You do not speak for the rest of the world.
It doesn't matter it cuts like butter or has different colours like black and blue. All that matters is taste. Pakistani mangoes have the best taste in my opinion. But I wont speak for everyone unlike you.

[vcool80]

They use Carbide to ripe Mangoes. I don't how they do. this can be the reason with the mangoes in AI flight too. most varieties of mangoes are present in India IINM. Mango=Maanga=South Indian word.

List of mango cultivars

India: Chausa, Chok anan, Dusehri, Gaddamar, Ottu Mangai, Mulgoba, Langra Benarsi, Badshahpasand, Surkha, Totapuri, Fajli, HusanNara, Alphonso, Amrapali, Badami, Bangalora, Banganapalli, Bombay, Bombay Green, Cheruku Rasalu, Chinna Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, Roomani, Fajri Kalan, Fernandian, Gulabkhas, Himayath, Himsagar, Imam Pasand,[1], Jehangir, Kalami, Kesar, Kishen Bhog, Komanga, Lalbaug, Langra, Maldah, Malgis, Mallika, Mankur (GOA), Mankurad, Moovandan, Nattuma, Neelum, Pairi, Priyor, Rajapuri, Raspuri, Ratna, Safeda, Sammar Bahisht, Suvarnarekha, Totapuri, Vanraj, Zardalu[disambiguation needed ], Alampur Baneshan, Puliyan, Kuttiyattor, Ela Manga, Nannari.

Pakistan: Chausa, Chok anan Dusehri, Langra, Desi, Anwar Rataul, Sindhri, Fajri, Saroli, BaganPali, Alphonso, Muhammad Wole, Neelum

[Shaddy]

Originally Posted by vcool80 They use Carbide to ripe Mangoes. I don't how they do. this can be the reason with the mangoes in AI flight too. most varieties of mangoes are present in India IINM. Mango=Maanga=South Indian word. List of mango cultivars India: Chausa, Chok anan, Dusehri, Gaddamar, Ottu Mangai, Mulgoba, Langra Benarsi, Badshahpasand, Surkha, Totapuri, Fajli, HusanNara, Alphonso, Amrapali, Badami, Bangalora, Banganapalli, Bombay, Bombay Green, Cheruku Rasalu, Chinna Rasalu, Pedda Rasalu, Roomani, Fajri Kalan, Fernandian, Gulabkhas, Himayath, Himsagar, Imam Pasand,[1], Jehangir, Kalami, Kesar, Kishen Bhog, Komanga, Lalbaug, Langra, Maldah, Malgis, Mallika, Mankur (GOA), Mankurad, Moovandan, Nattuma, Neelum, Pairi, Priyor, Rajapuri, Raspuri, Ratna, Safeda, Sammar Bahisht, Suvarnarekha, Totapuri, Vanraj, Zardalu[disambiguation needed ], Alampur Baneshan, Puliyan, Kuttiyattor, Ela Manga, Nannari. Pakistan: Chausa, Chok anan Dusehri, Langra, Desi, Anwar Rataul, Sindhri, Fajri, Saroli, BaganPali, Alphonso, Muhammad Wole, Neelum

I'd like to order a kilo each please.

[Badsha]

Originally Posted by Spetsnaz And the world prefers Alphonso as the best. Its favorite for its unmatchable aroma, taste, texture and colour. It cuts like a butter and peels like a banana. Its pulp takes one to heaven. Thats why it charges a premium in the world market. Pakistan = Pakistani mangoes are the best. Rest of the world = Indian Alphonso is the best. That pretty much tells the story.

Why are you making generalizations? Why so insecure



I pretty much doubt the whole world prefers one single type of mango, but even if they do, good for them!

I prefer anwar rathore.

[vcool80]

anwar rathore

Rowdy Rathore? :o yaar it is anwar ratoul?
On Topic: it is mango season in India.

[justarslan]

Originally Posted by Badsha Why are you making generalizations? Why so insecure I pretty much doubt the whole world prefers one single type of mango, but even if they do, good for them! I prefer anwar rathore.

This is fake Indian superiority complex.

[insaan]

On Topic:

Has anyone tried Aam Panna Vodka? Tastes best with a slightly yellow unripe mango.

[Spetsnaz]

Originally Posted by 90MPH What do you mean rest of the world ? Typical arrogant Indian. You do not speak for the rest of the world. It doesn't matter it cuts like butter or has different colours like black and blue. All that matters is taste. Pakistani mangoes have the best taste in my opinion. But I wont speak for everyone unlike you.

The rest of the world includes top chefs of the best restaurants in the world, Presidents of various countries such as USA, Japan, Monarchs of many gulf countries, Queen of England, and many people of different countries who pay hefty price just to dig their teeth into its heavenly tasty pulp. So, in way the rest of the world speaks for themselves when they proclaim Indian Alphonso to be the best in the world.

Nobody gives a zilch to your biased opinion.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...alphonso-mango


As anyone who's tasted an Alphonso mango knows, its short season, from now until the end of June, is a major cause for celebration. Often making an appearance on "1,000 things to eat before you die"-type lists, this Indian variety has become more and more popular in the UK.

It's easy to see why. Alphonso's voluptuous shape and sunshine-yellow skin reveals succulent saffron-coloured flesh that's smooth and buttery: imagine a cross between peach, nectarine, apricot and melon with notes of honey and citrus. But better.

Alphonso has captured the imagination of chefs like Richard Corrigan, Yotam Ottolenghi, Vivek Singh and Peter Gordon. You'll find it on the dessert and cocktail menus of an increasing number of restaurants and bars around the country. London's Cinnamon Club make mango and cardamom crème brulee. The Milsom group in Suffolk and Essex favour panna cotta, cheesecake and sweet salsas. Chef Dev Biswal of The Ambrette in Rye and Margate slices them thin, "almost the thickness of a carpaccio" and serves them with ice cream made from the pulp. Chocolatier Paul A Young has been selling limited edition "Alphonso mango and Bloomsbury prairie fire chilli" truffles and this year's MasterChef winner Shelina Permalloo, who became renowned for her love of mangoes, always uses Alphonsos.

Alphonso is named after Afonso de Albuquerque, a nobleman and military expert who helped establish the Portuguese colony in India. It was the Portuguese who introduced grafting on mango trees to produce extraordinary varieties like Alphonso. The fruit was then introduced to the Konkan region in Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of south India.

Of the thousands of cultivars of mango in India, there are several different varieties of Alphonso. The best and most expensive are grown on the small Natwarlal plantation in Ratnagiri, and are hand-harvested. It is this variety that's most widely exported. The fruit was shipped to London for the Queen's coronation in 1953 from Mumbai's legendary Crawford Market, renowned for its Alphonso stalls in season, which is when our own love affair with it must have begun.

A national obsession in India on a par with Bollywood and cricket, the start of the mango season signals the beginning of summer and makes headlines. Newspapers give continuous updates on prices and availability. It's customary to send boxes of Alphonso mangoes to friends, colleagues and bosses as a mark of love and respect; and many courier companies in India even offer a separate mango delivery service.

Many Indians eat little more than the fruit for breakfast, lunch and dinner during its short season. In Mumbai, top restaurants put on mango festivals, and street vendors sell freshly squeezed mango juice. Indians celebrate with "mango parties", using the fruit in dishes such as pakoras, curries, mango leather, drinks like lassi and falooda, sweetmeats like barfi and desserts such as shrikhand.

Perhaps the most popular way of eating Alphonso is pulped, thickened with milk or cream, into which puris (deep-fried discs of puffed bread) are dunked. They are often available in large supermarkets and excellent online retailers like Natoora, but are cheaper from Asian greengrocers.

Spring brings many delicious things to eat - rhubarb, asparagus, wild garlic and the first broad beans. For me though, nothing beats the Alphonso mango.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2012


Now eat that ....

[insaan]

Aam Panna. Aam ka aachar. Mango shake. Aam ki khatti meethi chutney.

[Spetsnaz]

http://articles.economictimes.indiat...onso-and-kesar



Gujarat's alphonso mangoes to shine on Walmart shelves


elvyn Thomas, TNN Apr 15, 2012, 10.32AM IST

SURAT: The famous Valsadi hafoos ( alphonsos) and kesars will soon fill the shelves of the world's largest retailer , Walmart. Valsad, popular for its alphonso and kesar mangoes, especially in the US, has become a favoured destination for Wal-Mart to directly source organic mangoes from orchards.

[Spetsnaz]

http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/conten...ack-manchester

The return of the king (of fruits): Mangoes are back in Manchester

Posted Sunday, April 22, 2012 - 066

By Tanya Jones

April is the cruellest month wrote T. S. Eliot, but not for the mango lover as this is the time of year when the fruit returns to the British market.

The mango is considered to be the king of fruits but the elusive Alphonso mango from India is considered the king of mangoes.

Their name derives from the second Portuguese governor of India, Alfonso de Albuquerque, a 16th century naval officer who had a passion for the fruit that has grown on the Indian sub-continent for thousands of years.

They are believed to have originated in East India, Burma and the Andaman Islands bordering the Bay of Bengal.

It was in the 5th century BC that Buddhist monks first took the fruit to Malaysia and eastern Asia and from there traders from Persia took the trees to the Middle East and Africa.

The Portuguese seeded the fruit in Brazil and the West Indies and in the 1830’s Alphonso mango cultivars arrived in Florida and California, but stil,l to this day the most venerated variety comes from the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India.

More than 1000 varieties of the fruit are now grown the world over but India remains the leading producer of Alphonso followed by Mexico and China. It is also grown in Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil, the Philippines and Haiti.

Yet although Aphonso exports account for nearly 60% of the mango export trade from India, they are difficult to find in British outlets and are never found in supermarkets.

Unlike other varieties of mango more commonly found in supermarkets the Alphonso has a very delicate skin and is more easily affected by weather conditions and disease. It also tends to have a shorter shelf life.

Last year 80% of India’s crop was destroyed as a prolonged winter gave way to scorching summer heat which killed off the flowers and fruit. The mango needs temperatures in the 30-36 degrees centigrade range for the fruit to mature after the trees flower in November and December. But last year temperatures soared to 41 degrees by the beginning of April. An early rainy season further damaged the crop.

The subsequent relative scarcity of good quality fruit pushed up the price last year and the market is still recovering.

Heavy rains during the Thane cyclone in December 2011 have delayed the blossoming of mangoes this year and has led to a low yield and the late arrival of the fruits this season.

In India watermelons, limes and grapes are going some way to compensate fruit growers for the arrival of fewer mangoes this year.

The current world market is dominated by the cultivar Tommy Atkins, a variety that first fruited in 1940 in Florida, and the Tommy Atkins accounts for 80% of mangoes in British supermarkets.

Despite its fibrous flesh and inferior taste mango growers and retailers have embraced the cultivar for its productivity, resistance to disease, shelf life, transportability and size.

And so, in search of the king of mangoes, I went to Manchester’s Curry Mile in Rusholme. Curry Mile is a mile-long stretch of predominantly Asian shops selling all things Asian.

Mr Ravi has been selling mangoes for the past 30 years from his shop Ravi Food Store on Wilmslow Road, Manchester, and says that mangoes are now more popular in Britain among the general population, regardless of their origins, but Alphonso, in season, are the most popular, followed by the Chaunsa from Pakistan.

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He said: “It’s the quality. It’s a connoisseur’s mango. People who know their fruit, they go for Alphonso. 99% of my customers prefer them. They have a taste. Other mangoes are just sweet but these are sweet and tangy. My customers want something authentic and different that you can’t buy in the supermarkets.”

The Alphonso are more expensive than last year at £14 for a box of 12. As Mr Ravi explains, the wholesalers are re-couping their losses from last year’s bad harvest.

Leela Joseph a retired micro-biologist from Bolton has been a customer at Ravi Food Store for more than twenty years and she has come to buy her favourite mango. Of Indian origin she has a second home in Kerala and is proud of her mango tree there.

Mango reminds Dr Joseph of her childhood. She said: “We didn’t have chocolate. A mango was given to you in the hand and you peeled it with your teeth and got involved with it, with both your hands, and the juice dripped down your face. It was wonderful.”

The actor Terence Stamp confessed in The Spectator magazine to eating mango in the bath. He said: “You can’t enjoy the Alphonso without getting a little messy.”

However you prefer to eat mango its many health benefits have been well-documented. Mangoes contain more than 20 different vitamins and minerals and are a good source of dietary fibre. They also contain an enzyme with stomach soothing properties which acts as a digestive aid.

In addition, recent research in the United States has shown that mangoes could be useful as a bio-fuel.

The inedible stones of mangoes, olives, plums, apricots and cherries, and the shells of coconut, almond and pistachio, are known as endocarp. This agricultural waste is high in a chemical compound known as lignin which, when heated, produces an energy-rich gas that can be used to generate electricity.

For its many qualities mango indeed deserves its nomenclature as the king of fruits.

[90MPH]

Originally Posted by justarslan This is fake Indian superiority complex.

Its not their fault they so delusional. Just look at the garbage Indian media and current Bollywood movies as shining examples. Still cant stand their arrogance though.

[justarslan]

Originally Posted by 90MPH Its not their fault they so delusional. Just look at the garbage Indian media and current Bollywood movies as shining examples. Still cant stand their arrogance though.

Aamir Khan's new show is doing great work to bring real India of child molesters and baby girl killer to whole world.

[IgnitedMind]

Originally Posted by justarslan Aamir Khan's new show is doing great work to bring real India of child molesters and baby girl killer to whole world.

I am sorry..but are finding any sense of satisfaction from the fact that there are child molesters and baby killers in India and from sufferings of Indian kids....or from the fact that a super star is working for a better India..because I am and many Indians are for the second part....not sure about people across the border!!

and yeah..that is real India...problems are present in Real India...but problems are present in any "REAL" country...and we are working on it.....if you think that is the only real India..suit yourself!!... other end are doing great..and we are happy about it...and we will spread it......and while people are working internally to make this end with problems better too...

[RexRex]

This mangophile agrees that Alphonso tastes like manna and can beat pakistani mangoes to a shrivelling pulp.No competition there imo.

[LethalSami]

do we have Alphonsos in PAk too???

and what do u call em in urdu/punjabi???

[msd89]

They are called 'Hapus' where I come from