P51Guy
If they were asking controllers to tell them their heading and altitude they had no chance at all.
Particularly if the radio transmitters they were tuned to were in Bahrain.
Relay might help for a while but at some point it would break down.
Unbelievable that the certification standards do not provide for positive smoke evacuation from the cockpit in large passenger carrying aircraft. I am certain that the engineers can design a solution. But first they have to be given the task. ("Engineers" as in the guys who design the things in the first place-not FEs)