A Mumbai-bound Ethiopian airlines flight reportedly made an emergency landing in the city on Friday after seven people onboard fell ill.
The passengers fell ill after the aircraft – a Boeing 787 Dreamliner – experienced a depressurisation problem mid-air, according to a Times of India report. The issue started when the plane was flying over the Arabian Sea at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet.
The flight then faced a cabin depressurisation issue, following which the pilots made the decision to make a rapid descent to a lower altitude, as per data accessed from Flightradar24.
The plane – ET640 – then made an emergency landing early morning at 1.42 am, following which the seven sick passengers were attended to by the airport’s medical team. One of them required hospitalisation, TOI quoted a source as saying.
HT could not independently verify the details. An official statement from the airline or airport authorities is awaited.
Five passengers, crew members fell ill on London-Mumbai flight
The incident comes close on the heels of another similar one on June 24, wherein crew members and five passengers on an Air India flight travelling from London to Mumbai fell ill. Passengers on the flight AI 130 began feeling symptoms of food poisoning, including nausea and dizziness.
The airline also confirmed the incident, saying five passengers and two crew members onboard had fallen ill. Two of the passengers and crew members continued feeling the symptoms till landing and received medical attention after the aircraft landed. They were later discharged.
The reason for the sickness is still under investigation, while an airline official on the condition of anonymity said that it could be due to a gradual decrease in cabin pressure or slow decompression.
Air India said that it was looking into the incident, adding that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been notified about it.
The DGCA had, a few days back, conducted surprise surveillance checks at key airports in the country, during which several safety violations came to light. The regulatory authority then ordered the airports and airlines to take corrective measures to resolve the issues within a week’s time.
