Something is written in the skies. It looks lost and lonely.

Since the Air India 787 crash on June 12, planes keep returning mid-flight. The reasons are many — bird hits, warfare, newly mandated checks, technical snags. The reasons are all the same: foreboding. We have, many of us, taken flights since the air crash but the anxiety is palpable. Last week, when a plane I was on swooped back up before landing to take a full round, there was a tight hush, a controlled tension in the cabin. No grumbling or the usual banal consumer speak on how there should be better service.

It was reported that one pilot experienced a panic attack before a flight to Copenhagen. Many returning flights report vague technical snags — and you sense that understandably heightened anxiety is the main snag.