Airport Business - 10

OPERATIONS
AUTHOR Inderjit Singh

HINDSIGHT IS

20/20

There has been a history of crisis situations in
the world. COVID-19 is a yet another defining
moment. We in our respective sectors have
unique roles to play in the current pandemic and
are confident that together we will be successful.
And we won't rest.
UNLIKE 20/20 vision, a term used to express
normal visual acuity or perfect vision - the clarity
or sharpness of vision measured at a distance of
20 feet; " hindsight is 20/20, " however, has an
altogether different connotation.
" Hindsight is 20/20 " is a proverb
that means it is easy to understand
something after it has already
happened. The expression " hindsight
is 20/20 " is usually said in answer to an
admonishment that the person should
have known something would happen.
The word hindsight refers to looking
back or ref lecting on things in the
past. So, when we look back on
situations in the past, we see things
clearly that were not clear to us then.
People who are able to look back on
the past and understand what happened
have hindsight 20/20.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDERJIT SINGH

Inderjit Singh is an ICAO Airport
Consultant and former CEO of New
Delhi's IGI airport.

COVID-19 is a case-in-point.
Strange but true, " hindsight is 20/20 "
a proverb coined a century ago is
sounding relevant today - in the year
2020. Incredible! Is it a mere coincidence
or is there a design to it? Only time will
prove.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the
Chinese general, military strategist,
writer and philosopher teaches us to rely
not on the likelihood of the enemy's not
coming, but on our own readiness to
receive him; not on the chance of his
not attacking, but rather on the fact that
we have made our position unassailable.
COVID-19 and the other past
viruses are similar in many ways.
They have the same initial symptoms,
are respiratory illnesses caused by
coronaviruses and are believed to have
originated in birds, jumping to humans
via an intermediate animal host that
triggers the contagion; as is the case
with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Incidentally, the initial preventative and
containment measures, in the absence

10 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / DECEMBER 2020

of a suitable vaccine, are the same e.g.
face masks, social distancing, hygiene
and adoption of technology offering
touchless and contactless interactions.

A Time for Reflection
To each there comes in their lifetime
a special moment when they are
figuratively tapped on the shoulder and
offered the chance to do a very special
thing, unique to them and fitted to their
talents. What a tragedy if that moment
finds them unqualified or unprepared
for that which could have been their
finest hour - said Winston Churchill.
The situation ironically, has come
knocking at the doorstep of not only
the aviation industry, but the world at
large and all its people and industries,
in the form of COVID-19 pandemic.
The underlying or key words in the
quotation by Winston Churchill are
unprepared and unqualified. It is my
strong conviction that we in the aviation
industry, by virtue of our expertise,
experience and training, are amply
qualified to handle any unexpected
incidents, accidents, occurrences,
situations, eventualities and crisis
situations which can tend to become
disasters. We were, however, unprepared
for this onslaught of gargantuan
proportion - a virus that has raced across
Airport Business

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Airport Business
