Air travel is something that has caught my attention and l have been interested in learning more about it, there are so many interesting stories about air travel.

We are familiar with aeroplanes, helicopters which are most commonly used and others that we see only on tv such as hot air balloon, parachute, gliders etc.

I have travelled within India and abroad since childhood and my experiences with air travel have been mixed because it depends upon the country, the airline, airport immigration formalities, passport etc.

Despite being present for decades, Air travel is a luxury for most people, we prefer to use land transport, in fact, air travel is suitable for travel that involves great distance, it is faster and economical.

Air travel is different from other types of travel because it is not something that we do everyday, it is not possible to catch a plane like getting in your car or taking an auto rickshaw or public transport and get going and there are arrival and departure procedures to follow, we have to be at the airport in advance.

There are many movies based on air travel, the one that I story that I found really interesting was Final Destination which is about a group of teenagers who survive an airplane explosion and think that they can have escaped death.

This particular movie is not just about air travel, it is about something that we nobody talks about and everybody fears, that is death.

I can relate to this theme because although I have travelled many times by air, I do not have a fear of flying and yet, whenever I travelled by air in the past, I have had doubts about the safety of air travel.

Studies have shown that air travel is the safest form of travel, I find this difficult to believe because there are so many things that can go wrong which are beyond our control.

Travel by air is affected by natural and man made conditions such as changing weather which makes a difference, in spite of the sophisticated technology in use today.

When a plane crashes, hundreds of people are injured and killed, this takes place despite the security measures and maintenance checks that are in place.

Travel by air is risky because we cannot forecast what will happen in case of a pilot error or malfunctioning equipment, the plane could crash over land or sea.

There are many other reasons why people might avoid air travel, the fact is that air travel has become a part of our lives especially those whose work involves travel to different countries or those who have a sense of adventure and want to explore the world.

Air travel is essential because we live in a fast paced world, we may not realise it but it has an impact on every aspect of life that includes military superiority, business and economic activity that includes trade, employment and tourism.

In the end, air travel has made the world a smaller place, it has given us an opportunity to experience different cultures and countries that can change our lives for the better.