Return to 2000: Captain of the Great Powers

In the large conference room on the top floor of Tokyo ANA headquarters, a huge conference table that can accommodate more than 40 people occupies the center of the room, and the top seat on the conference table is empty. No one in the company can take that seat.

However, the nominal leader of ANA has rarely appeared on company affairs occasions, and basically handed over all matters large and small to the president Guan Yueling.

Guan Yueling's seat is to the left of the chairman's seat.Although Japan is heavily influenced by Western culture, in many occasions, especially in terms of etiquette, it is still influenced by a large oriental country.In the West, the right is respected, but in Japan, the left is respected. As the actual controller of ANA, Guan Yueling's seat is naturally on the left of the chairman's seat.

More than [-]% of the directors present are over [-] years old, but in front of the young Guan Yueling, they are all introverted and dare not be presumptuous in the slightest.

"This time, the regular board of directors only talks about one thing, and that is the development of international routes. In recent years, in the domestic market, we have no gap with Japan Airlines, but the gap in international routes has become more and more Big. No matter how well the domestic market is doing, limited by innate conditions, the upper limit is predictable, and competing for the international market is what we should focus on in the future." Guan Yueling said in a deep voice.

However, as soon as Guan Yueling said these words, it felt that the voice inside the venue became a little quieter.Under Guan Yueling's indifferent gaze, one of the oldest and most experienced directors dared to say cautiously: "President, we have tried our best in the past six months, but JAL has indeed It is a huge advantage. They have enjoyed policy dividends for nearly 20 years, and even if we want to catch up, I am afraid that we will not be able to catch up in a few years."

If this is said on other directors, Guan Yueling will not be used to it.However, this director is very old and has supported her before, so it is not good to embarrass him in public, so he said lightly: "If you have difficulties, don't do it, because you want JAL to get another 20 years of bonuses Expect?"

"President, you know I don't mean that." The director said helplessly: "20 years is enough to form a habit, whether it is domestic JCAB when approving international routes, or when foreign airlines are looking for Japanese cooperative airlines, they will Instinctively, JAL is preferred, this is the force of habit. Moreover, JAL has performed well on international routes in recent years, and it seems that this habit will continue in the future.”

Habits are indeed terrifying. They seem invisible, but they point directly to the deepest inertia in people's hearts and subtly affect people's decision-making.

"In your opinion, JAL is monolithic in the international route market?"

The director sighed: "President, didn't you find two breakthroughs? The world is big, but international routes actually have two main sectors. One is the mature European and American markets, and the other is the rapidly rising East Asian market. In the market, the breakthrough the president found is American Airlines, but in the East Asian market, you seem to be more interested in Spring and Summer Airlines, president?"

Guan Yueling raised her eyebrows: "Oh? Judging from your tone, it seems that you have a problem with choosing Spring Airlines?"

"If possible, it is natural to cooperate with one of the National University, Tiandong and Muhua." The director obviously did his homework: "National University Airlines is the largest airline there, and the cooperation with us is very important. Not too concerned, naturally not a good choice. Muhua Airlines completed the Boeing 777 verification not long ago, and seems to have interrupted its cooperation with Asiana Airlines on international routes, and it seems that it intends to independently support the international route market. Even if it is not a good choice. In comparison, among the three major airlines, Tiandong Airlines is actually the most suitable for us. The distance between Shanghai and the main island of Japan is just right, and even if you use a narrow-body aircraft, you can complete the round trip very well.”

"But Tiandong Airlines wants to cooperate with Japan Airlines!" Guan Yueling said through gritted teeth.

However, she could also see that the group of people under her command were not all eating dry food, and they still had a certain level of cognition.His face also softened a little.That's right, Tiandong Airlines is the most suitable partner for cooperation both in terms of its own demands and its geographical location in Shanghai.

It's just that the falling flowers have feelings, and the flowing water has no intentions, so what can I do?

"After Tiandong Airlines became independent, the first international route was to cooperate with Japan Airlines. This is an advantage, and this is a habit." Someone sighed: "President, you really think that Spring Airlines can help us open up Shanghai and Yangcheng. route?"

Guan Yueling pondered for a moment, but finally did not answer this question, because even she herself did not have confidence.

"Let's talk about American Airlines." Guan Yueling waved his hand: "How is the cooperation with American Airlines going?"

ANA does not have the ability to independently develop Japan-US routes, so it can only choose to cooperate with a domestic airline in the United States, and their choice is American Airlines.

The director sitting at the bottom interrupted: "President, there is still no progress in the feedback from the people in the United States. To be honest, is it too aggressive for us to go directly to American Airlines for cooperation? Do you want to choose the next one?" Waiting for the airline?"

Although ANA is the top airline company in Asia, it is only a small point in front of American Airlines.You know, in a mature and huge civil aviation market like the United States, American Airlines is undoubtedly the giant.

It is precisely because of the terrible size of American Airlines that the directors of ANA are subconsciously a little timid.

"Choosing a second-class airline to cooperate with is not going the same way? Now American Airlines has not cooperated with JAL. If we can win American Airlines over, then we will have the ability to surpass JAL in one fell swoop on American routes. And the United States The profit of the route accounts for more than half of JAL's overall profit, and we will have a chance if we cut off JAL's largest source of profit." Guan Yueling said firmly: "If you can't win the cooperation of American Airlines, then other efforts will be in vain. of."

Don't look at Guan Yueling as a girl, but her courage is not comparable to that of ordinary people.Be the first if you want to do it, and it has never been Guan Yueling's style to be behind others.

However, the cooperation between American Airlines, the breakthrough point in the European and American markets, has not progressed for a long time, and the spring and summer aviation capabilities in the East Asian market, the breakthrough point, are still unknown. On the whole, the future of ANA in international routes is still uncertain.

"President, I heard that you sold a part of the profits of the US routes to Spring and Summer Airlines?" Another director asked.

Guan Yueling did not deny it: "Yes, this clause will be part of the agreement with Spring Airlines in the near future. What's the matter, is there any problem?"

The director smiled and said, "No, no. I'm just curious about what the chief executive of Spring and Summer Airlines thinks. We don't even have confidence in the American route. How come he is full of confidence?"

This director has heard a little about Xu Cang's reputation.He can be called a genius in the handling of aviation special situations, so he must have a good brain, right?That being the case, Xu Cang would not have signed such a hopeless agreement unless he had confidence in the future of ANA's US routes.

But the problem is that their own members of ANA have confidence in the US route, which is more puzzling.

"I heard that some of their staff will come to train, and that young man named Xu Cang will also come, is it here?"

Putting aside the commercial cooperation, the executives of ANA showed a certain interest in Xu Cang, a somewhat legendary young man, but they wanted to see how Xu Cang was superhuman.

Guan Yueling looked at his watch: "The plane is about to land, I may go to the airport later."

"Pick him up?" The oldest director raised his eyebrows: "Ling, are you going to pick up the person from Spring and Summer Airlines, or pick him up?"

It was obvious that the director was asking in a tone similar to that of an elder.

Guan Yueling smiled and said: "He is four years younger than me, I don't like younger than me"

As Guan Yueling's voice fell, the door of the meeting room was suddenly pushed open, and Guan Yueling's secretary hurried in.

Guan Yueling was very displeased, this occasion was so reckless, and she was also her secretary.But seeing the secretary's anxious expression, Guan Yueling restrained her anger: "What's wrong?"

The secretary handed Guan Yueling a mobile phone: "President, JCAB director's phone number."

Guan Yueling didn't pick up the phone immediately, but looked down and found that the secretary was covering the phone's microphone with his hands, so he asked with confidence: "What happened?"

The secretary took a deep breath: "Our flight 45 had an accident."

In the Tokyo regional control room, looking at the ANA flight 45 that has broken through to 737 feet, the supervisor had a few blue veins on his forehead: "Who can tell me how a [-] flew to [-] feet?" feet high?"

The supervisor's voice was not loud, but it contained uncontrollable anger, like a time bomb that would explode at any moment, so that the huge area control room was silent, and no one dared to answer the supervisor's words.

In fact, even if someone dared to answer, he didn't know the reason.

Because anyone with a little knowledge of aircraft knows that it is absolutely impossible for a Boeing 737 to fly to [-] feet, not to mention that this aircraft still maintains a good rate of ascent after passing [-] feet .

In this weird atmosphere, there was a rustling electric sound from the loudspeaker of the control seat in charge of ANA Flight 45, and it seemed that someone was talking.

Because the control seat turned the volume of the external speaker to a very low level, this was done for fear of affecting other people's work, and the volume is usually inaudible.But at the moment when a needle drop can be heard, the volume is clearly audible.

The controller subconsciously turned to the radar screen and instinctively shouted: "Is it ANA Flight 45?"

Because he couldn't understand the problems encountered by ANA Flight 45, the southern part of Tokyo's airspace was cleared, so that there were no other flights in the controller's jurisdiction except ANA Flight 45.If there is an aircraft call at this time, there is a high probability that it will be ANA Flight 45.

"Turn up the volume." The supervisor shouted immediately.

The controller didn't dare to be negligent, and immediately raised the volume of the speaker, and the sound gradually became slightly clearer.

"MAYDAY45 was hijacked and decompressed. The crew is about to lose control and empty."

In the silent area control room, the vague words echoed like this. It was obvious that the crew spoke, but it contained extremely powerful background noise, and the supervisor could not understand the only few characters that could be distinguished.

"What is he talking about?" The supervisor ordered: "Go back and play it again."

The control seat has regular recordings of radio calls, and it is not difficult to play them back.

Immediately, the controller acted according to the supervisor's wishes, flicked and operated on the computer next to him, then clicked the play button, and soon the voice came out again: "MAYDAY45 suffered a hijacking and depressurization. The crew is about to lose control and be emptied."

This time the supervisor leaned over the speaker and listened carefully, but after a pause, he straightened up in a daze: "Is this Japanese?"

That's right, in the discernible vocabulary, the supervisor feels completely unJapanese.However, the background sound of this passage was so loud that the supervisor was not sure.

"It seems to be Chinese." At this time, a person suddenly raised his hand: "He seems to be speaking Chinese."

The supervisor of "Zhong" directly waved at the man: "Come here."

This is a young man in his 20s. He may have just come to the area control room to help out. He seemed a little shy in front of the supervisor. When he came to the supervisor, he bowed at ninety degrees: "I learned Chinese by myself in college. , I can be sure that this is Chinese."

The supervisor patted the controller on the shoulder: "Play it again!"

The controller quickly pulled back to the beginning, and then the same paragraph came out again.The young man listened attentively, and while listening, he translated: "MAYDAY! ANA Flight 45 was hijacked and depressurized. The crew is about to be disabled and the plane is out of control. You can clear the airspace within a [-]-nautical-mile radius of the plane upon request."

As soon as the words were translated, the supervisor was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the young man: "Are you sure you mean that?"

The young man was a little frightened by the supervisor's horrifying gaze, but he still nodded emphatically: "I'm sure that's what he meant. Moreover, the person who said it seems to be in a bad state, and his speech speed is very slow, which doesn't seem to be normal. The speaking speed is a bit like "

"Like what?" the supervisor asked anxiously.

The young man gritted his teeth: "It's like a state of unconsciousness during extreme hypoxia."

"Hijacking, lack of oxygen, decompression, incapacity, loss of control!"

These five words kept echoing in the director's mind.If any of these appeared, it would be considered a major event, but now that all these situations are concentrated on the same plane, how can the supervisor not be in a mess.

"Impossible!" The supervisor still didn't want to believe it: "How could the crew on ANA Flight 45 speak Chinese at this time? Did you hear it wrong? Can you be sure?"

At this time, the controller whispered: "Director, maybe we have to make a decision."

"What decision do you make?" The supervisor yelled: "According to the meaning of that passage, clear the airspace within a radius of [-] nautical miles of the plane, but the plane is moving. Any aircraft, the entire Tokyo airspace must be cleared. Moreover, he has not mentioned the altitude, that is the entire altitude, and the entire airspace is cleared. Do you dare to make this decision?"

The Tokyo area is the busiest airspace in Japan. If it is completely emptied, half of Japan's civil aviation will be affected. How dare he take such a big responsibility?

In fact, it wasn't that the supervisor didn't want to believe the young man who translated, but that he couldn't believe it.

This decision is too difficult!

"Moreover, from the radar, ANA flight 45 is still climbing. If the pressure is really relieved, why is the plane still climbing?" The supervisor raised his own doubts.

If the pressure is relieved, an emergency descent is required. Isn't this common sense?How can anyone climb to a higher place? Isn't this looking for death?
At this time, a voice from nowhere came out: "Could it be that the hijackers are manipulating the plane?"

It is indeed contrary to common sense that it rises when the pressure is released.But if the hijackers climbed based on some ulterior motives, it seems to make sense.

"Then the hijacker said that just now?" The supervisor said in a deep voice, "A hijacker who speaks Chinese is still reporting the status of the plane and asking to clear the airspace at the same time. Do you know what you are talking about?"

Indeed, if it was a hijacker, he would definitely have no position to report the status of the plane to the controller. He even mentioned the clearing of the airspace for safety purposes. This is obviously for the purpose of saving the plane, unlike the hijacker who can say words that come out.

Moreover, even if the hijacker is controlling the plane, but the hijacker is not a god, how can he break through the ceiling of the 737?
In any case, there is a lot of weirdness in this incident.

"You don't know why the 737 was able to break through the ceiling. You don't know why there is a Chinese-speaking person appearing on the communication frequency of ANA Flight 45?" No one is reliable, and it is even more furious.

"Because there is a team of personnel from Chinese airlines on ANA Flight 45." At this time, the supervisor's assistant approached: "I just contacted ANA, and the crew in charge are ANA employees, Japanese. But , There are personnel from Spring Airlines on the plane, they plan to go to ANA to receive training, and to sign a cooperation agreement between ANA and Spring Airlines.”

The supervisor's face turned pale: "Then the one who spoke just now?"

"Among the people in Spring and Summer Airlines, there is a person named Xu Cang. I think he was the one who spoke just now." The assistant said softly: "If the plane is hijacked, the original crew may have been injured, and that Xu Cang will replace him." Yes. If so, it is quite logical."

"Xu Cang?" The supervisor let out a sigh of relief: "I know this person, he seems to be quite powerful."

The assistant emphasized it blankly: "It's very powerful."

The supervisor looked gloomy. According to the information and explanations provided by the assistant, many things seemed to make sense.Of course, not everything can be explained, such as ANA flight 45 breaking the ceiling.

"What should I do?" the assistant asked.

Even if you don't want to face it, you still have to face it, right?Evasion will only do more harm.

The supervisor gritted his teeth and announced: "Tokyo's airspace has declared a state of emergency, and other aircraft are not allowed to enter Tokyo's airspace except in emergencies."

It was a tough decision, but the supervisor ordered it anyway.

After thinking for a while, he looked at his assistant: "Help me contact JCAB!"

At this moment on the plane, Xu Cang had already reached the end of his strength after uttering those words with difficulty.The extreme lack of oxygen has made him unconscious, so much so that he forgot that he is now in the airspace of Tokyo, Japan, and the announcement is still in Chinese.

Of course, he didn't know if Tokyo Control had received it.Even if there is feedback from the control side, the windshield is broken, and the airflow is pouring in backwards. The huge noise can already cover everything, and the feedback from the controller cannot be heard clearly.

In fact, he doesn't want to care about the controller's feedback, that kind of thing is not important at all.

For the current plan, how should he get out of the current situation.

He was about to be unable to hold on anymore. It wasn't something he could survive with perseverance or patience. It was determined by physiological factors, which couldn't be changed at all.Once he passes out due to lack of oxygen, the plane will be completely out of control.

What's more terrible is that the MCP board of the aircraft is completely damaged now, and the autopilot cannot be used at all.Otherwise, if he had set the autopilot in advance, there might be some turning points.

Xu Cang couldn't put on the oxygen mask, so he could only hold the oxygen mask with his right hand, and put the mask on his face through the rubber hose.However, due to the barrier of the rubber hose, Xu Cang's face and the mask couldn't fit together well at all, which caused the oxygen delivered by the oxygen mask to only be blown to Xu Cang's face very weakly.

The oxygen may keep Xu Cang awake for a little longer, but the result is only a drop in the bucket and nothing will change.

However, at this time, Xu Cang also had to make a choice.It is inevitable that he will fall into a coma due to lack of oxygen for some time to come.However, he also believed that if the plane descended low enough, not even [-] feet, he could regain consciousness.

But the problem is, from the current height to [-] feet, how to complete the height difference?
Holding the oxygen mask in his right hand, Xu Cang groped for the corner of the center console with his left hand, and soon touched the knob switch of the cockpit door locking system.He tried turning it, but the cockpit door didn't open.

This knob is a spring-loaded knob that will automatically return to center if no external force is applied.Normally, it would be effortless for Xu Cang to turn this knob, but it is different now, every turn is consuming Xu Cang's last energy.

After a failed attempt, Xu Cang turned it again, but this time there was still no response.

Xu Cang was anxious, why is the cockpit still closed?

If the cockpit door is opened, there may still be a slight possibility of finding foreign aid.

However, at this critical moment, the cockpit door could not be opened.

In fact, Xu Cang was really confused at this time.It's not that the knob doesn't work anymore, but that he turned it in the opposite direction, so of course he can't open the door.

Of course, Xu Cang's expectation of getting foreign aid is also an extravagant hope. He doesn't know the situation in the cabin at the moment. If he knew, he wouldn't have such an unrealistic idea.

Unable to open the cockpit door, Xu Cang didn't try again, and if he tried again, it would take his last bit of strength.

How do you get down from a height of [-] feet?How the hell did the plane get down to [-] feet with him unconscious, without autopilot, without human intervention?
Xu Cang was never a person who was willing to wait for death. Against the strong wind, with only the last bit of strength, he got up slightly and reopened the yaw damper switch that Takashi Kuroda had closed before.Afterwards, he retracted the speedbrake, switched his right hand to the left, and continued to hold the oxygen mask close to his face. At the same time, he lowered his head slightly, then put the oxygen mask on the steering wheel, and finally lowered his right hand, giving up control of the plane directly.

"Will you let me live?"

Xu Cang felt the weak oxygen flow from the oxygen mask, and finally there was only a trace of consciousness left. After muttering to himself, everything fell into darkness.

At this moment, the cockpit of ANA Flight 45 fell into an extremely strange scene, except for the whistling airflow, there was no other movement.Takashi Kuroda slumped on the left seat, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.Xu Cang, on the other hand, held the oxygen mask in his left hand, pressed it against the steering wheel, and his right hand hung down, not controlling the plane at all.

At this moment, this behemoth carrying hundreds of people is truly unmanned.

About three or four minutes later, in the Tokyo area control room, the supervisor looked at the crooked flight path of ANA Flight 4 on the radar screen, his expression extremely gloomy.At this moment, the radar shows that the altitude of the aircraft has exceeded 45 feet.

When breaking through the ceiling before, the supervisor was still puzzled and scared, but at this time, he was relieved.

If it is possible for the 737 to reach [-] feet through some special means, [-] feet is obviously an illogical figure.Rather than believe that the plane had actually reached [-] feet, the supervisor had begun to doubt the accuracy of that number.

"Could it be that the plane's transponder has a problem?" Not to mention the supervisor, the controller in charge also felt a slight problem.

The aircraft altitude information on the control radar comes from the aircraft's transponder. If there is a problem with the aircraft's transponder, the altitude information transmitted will naturally be wrong.If it's a problem with the transponder, it's much more likely, at least more likely than the 737 flying to an altitude of [-] feet.

No, it is much bigger!
The supervisor actually thought of this question too, but he didn't speak because he was thinking about another question.

If the person who spoke just now was Xu Cang, since he can report this, there is a relatively high probability that hijacking has become a less urgent problem.So, what is the most pressing problem, hypoxia and decompression.

In the sentence just now, Xu Cang clearly requested to clear the airspace, and the scope was very large.In addition, the crew's incapacity was also mentioned. Combined with the chaotic flight trajectory on the radar screen, the supervisor actually had a very scary thought in his mind, that is, is there a conscious person on ANA Flight 45 controlling the plane.

The supervisor lowered his head slightly, just in time to meet the controller's eyes.From the face of the controller, the supervisor also saw a trace of fear, which shows that the controller also thought of this possibility.

What does it mean to have a plane with no controls at all?
No one dared to give this answer, especially under the premise that the Tokyo metropolitan area is below.

Suddenly, the assistant who had just contacted JCAB came over, holding the phone in his hand, and approached: "It's connected."

The supervisor stared fixedly at the radar screen, on which the flight trajectory of ANA Flight 45 was still chaotic and irregular.Suddenly, the supervisor sighed heavily, as if he had made a decision, and took the phone from the assistant.

At the same time, not long after, Li Jie was dealing with official duties in the office of the Director General of the Civil Aviation Administration of Hanking CAAC as usual.

As the leader of the entire CAAC, Li Jie's office is rather simple and old-fashioned. The only impressive thing is the huge bookcase on one side of the room, which is filled with all kinds of books, and even the entire office is full of ink. aroma.

Suddenly, the office was pushed away violently, and Li Lin, director of the Aviation Safety Department, rushed into it.

Li Jiefang wrote, and asked Li Lin with his expression unchanged: "What's the matter?"

Li Lin took a deep breath: "Director Li, the director of JCAB called you for something urgent."

Now Li Jie stopped working completely, and took a deep look at Li Lin: "Turn the phone over."

"Okay!" Li Lin just responded, turned around and glanced outside, as if someone was waiting outside.

Soon, the landline on Li Jie's desk rang, and he picked up the receiver, and immediately a very accented Chinese came from the opposite side: "Director Li, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is something urgent right now, and I need to ask for your opinion." .”

Li Jie raised his eyebrows. The voice was really that of the director of JCAB.

"Director Long Island, if you have something to say, it's okay."

"Director Li, not long ago, ANA Flight 45 encountered some problems in the airspace of Tokyo. Now we seriously suspect that the people on board lost control of the plane due to decompression and lack of oxygen, which means that there is an unmanned aircraft. The controlled aircraft is over Tokyo."

Hearing this, Li Jie frowned: "Director Long Island, if you are here to tell me this news, then I can only say that I regret it."

"No!" The director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Japan said in a deep voice: "The last communication with that plane came from a person who spoke Chinese. According to the information we have, it is very likely that the person is Xu from your CAAC. Cang's pilot. His last communication seems to indicate that he is in a bad situation, and now the radar track of the plane also shows that the plane is not under control. Director Li, an uncontrolled plane is over our capital, This is unacceptable."

Li Jie pursed his lips: "What do you mean?"

"For the safety of Tokyo as a whole, I feel that it is necessary to take all necessary measures. However, I learned from the phone call with the president of ANA that this man named Xu Cang is very unusual. Maybe he has the possibility to change everything." The director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Japan said: "I don't trust the president of ANA on this matter. Since Xu Cang is a member of your CAAC, I naturally have to ask you. Do you think he can do it?"

Li Jie was silent for a moment: "Director Changdao, you are throwing the problem at me!"

"No, no, no!" said the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Japan: "I will make the decision in the end! Director Li, you know, this is an extremely difficult decision. If possible, I don't want to make it, as long as you give me a reason .”

Li Jie knew what the director of Long Island said about all the necessary measures. An unmanned plane was flying over the capital. Isn't this a ticking time bomb?It is unacceptable for any country.

It can be seen that the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Japan is also under tremendous pressure.In fact, Li Jie could already guess what the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Japan was thinking, but at this juncture, he needed the support of others.

Li Jie could stay out of the matter at this time, but he thought for a while, and said solemnly: "The next thing I am not telling you as the director of CAAC, but making my suggestion to you in my personal capacity."

The director of Long Island took a long breath: "I understand, you can tell."

Li Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, and said in an unquestionable tone: "Trust him, trusting him means believing in miracles!"