bhaskar saikia

In recent months, there has been a disturbing number of plane crashes reported across the world. Every time such news breaks, one word echoes in our minds — Mayday. It’s the universal cry for help in aviation, a last-ditch call when something has gone terribly wrong. But how did this word become the global distress signal? And why “Mayday”?

The Origin of “Mayday”

The term Mayday has nothing to do with the month of May. Its roots go back to the 1920s, when aviation was beginning to expand across borders, skies, and languages. With increasing international air travel, it became crucial to establish a universally recognized distress signal that pilots and ground staff across different countries could easily understand.

The answer came from French. The phrase “m’aider” — a shortened form of “venez m’aider” — translates to “come help me”. In 1923, the British radio officer Frederick Stanley Mockford, working at Croydon Airport in London, suggested using Mayday because much of the early traffic was between London and Paris. It was simple, easy to recognize, and could be clearly understood by English and French-speaking crews alike.

In 1927, the International Radiotelegraph Convention officially adopted Mayday as the voice distress call for aircraft and ships. Since then, it has been used globally to signify a life-threatening emergency.

Why Three Times?

When you hear “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” repeated three times, it’s not random. The triple repetition ensures clarity over noisy or disrupted communication channels. It avoids confusion with similar-sounding words or accidental utterances. The moment a control tower hears it, they know the situation is critical and requires immediate action.

The Weight Behind the Word

Hearing Mayday sends a chill down the spine — it’s the line between life and death, between routine and catastrophe. Sadly, the recent spate of aviation accidents reminds us of the razor-thin margins within which pilots operate. From technical failures to weather hazards, human errors to unforeseen circumstances — every flight carries enormous responsibility.

Each Mayday call reflects not only the urgency of the moment but also the silent promise that pilots and air traffic controllers work under — to do everything possible to bring people home safely.