Air Crew

One of the pilots has given up a promising career for family reasons. His wife senses he is unhappy, creating tension that strains their marriage. They do love their son, but the personal turmoil frames his professional life.

After the divorce, the pilot resumes piloting large passenger planes, reigniting the ambition he set aside. He returns to the cockpit and faces old and new pressures of commanding a jumbo jet. This renewal contrasts with the unresolved domestic turmoil.

The other pilot is a bachelor who distrusts family life. His flat is filled with impressive self-constructed light effects and audio installations that he uses to entertain himself and attract women. He pursues a string of one-night stands, showing a different kind of bravado from the rest of the crew.

The Tu-154 Aeroflot aircraft lands in the fictional mountain town of Bidri as the city starts to crumble after an earthquake. An immediately ensuing crisis reveals the fragility of the crew’s routine lives and sets the stage for a desperate escape route.

Bidri is devastated by the earthquake, and the damaged runway cannot support normal take-offs. The impending mudflow intensifies the urgency to escape, heightening the peril for everyone on board. The crisis creates a race against time.

A seasoned senior officer decides to exploit the mountain location of the airport by allowing descent rather than ascent to escape the danger. The crew prepares to improvise within the constraints of their damaged aircraft. This strategic pivot marks a shift from routine flight operations to desperate crisis management.

Despite a 'not ready for flight' warning, the plane begins its departure. The crew completes the last checks under extreme pressure while the mudflow closes in. The moment becomes a high-stakes test of nerve, skill, and teamwork.

On the take-off run, a runway light jams in the elevator and a crack appears near the tail. The plane sustains serious damage and the crew fights to keep control. Passengers sense panic, but the captain remains calm and tries to maintain routine, including serving coffee.

Two pilots volunteer to repair the plane's tail and rudder, returning inside with severe injuries and frost. The on-board crisis triggers fear among passengers while the captain steadies the situation and orders a stewardess to serve coffee as a sign of normalcy. Their sacrifice underscores the humanity of those in command.

On the way to Moscow, the crew discovers the brakes are failing in heavy rain. The captain orders the thrust reversers, a move that tears off the tail and sets it alight. Miraculously, the rest of the plane remains intact and all passengers escape safely.

At a medical examination ahead of his next certification, the aging captain is refused permission to fly due to heart problems. He struggles to accept the verdict and cannot maintain the same calm under pressure that he showed during the crisis. The decision effectively ends his flying career.

All three main protagonists are depicted as capable of behaving more maturely under emergency pressure than in everyday life. The crisis reveals strengths that are missing in normal routines, highlighting personal growth. The film uses their collective adversity to suggest a lasting transformation.

The narrative ends by underscoring the lasting impact of their shared ordeal on how they handle danger and responsibility. The improvement in their behavior under pressure implies a new equilibrium in their lives. Viewers are left with a sense of growth arising from crisis.