AHMEDABAD: Just four days after cheating death, Jayesh Ramji stood quietly at Gate 4 of Terminal 2 of SVPI airport, hands clasped tightly around his bag. A shop assistant in London, the 34-year-old was supposed to be on AI 171: the Air India flight that crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board along with many others on the ground. A lastminute change to stay with his ailing mother saved his life.On Monday, he stood at the airport again, about to board AI 159 — the renumbered version of the same AhmedabadGatwick flight. Ramji, originally from Diu and living in London for the past seven years, said: “I pushed my travel to June 16 as my mother was unwell. Now, I just hope to get home safe.” He wasn’t alone in carrying quiet fear. The terminal was quieter than usual, with families clinging a little tighter, goodbyes turning a little longer. Everyone knew the significance of this flight: same city, same sky, but with prayers for a different outcome.The flight, scheduled to depart at 1.10pm, was delayed by over three hours and eventually departed at 4.30pm.In line was Raas Mishra, 28, who works with the operations team of a logistics firm in London. His parents had hugged him goodbye; their eyes moist with tears. “They were scared. I am nervous too, but I have flown Air India before and while the ride is not always the most comfortable, I trust their pilots,” Mishra told TOI.For 72-year-old Kokila Patel of Patan, the delay brought emotional exhaustion. Her original flight was scheduled for June 14, but it was cancelled after the tragedy. “My son said I should book another airline. But I’d already confirmed June 16 when Air India called me,” she said. “I trust God and the airline. I want to go back, not stay scared forever.”Her older sister, Pushpa Patel, 75, who came to see her off, looked worried. “I begged her to change the airline, but she wouldn’t listen,” she said.Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sabina Qasmani from Veraval was heading back to the UK to join her father and siblings. Her mother, Ameena, remained anxious. “Since the crash, I have not been able to sleep. She is flying the same route.”For Riddhi, another young woman heading to her husband in the UK after visiting family in Ahmedabad, the moment was bittersweet. “This is my second trip after getting married. I was happy being with my family, but I just want to get back safely to him now.”Despite the weight of recent memories, there was a quiet strength in the air. At the boarding gate, passengers glanced skyward and whispered prayers. And when AI159 finally lifted off, every passenger carried one common wish: that the flight would be just another flight, and not a headline.