In a mid-air scare, an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET640, en route from Addis Ababa to Mumbai, was forced to make an emergency landing recently after a cabin depressurisation incident. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, cruising 33,000 ft over the Arabian Sea, experienced a sudden loss of cabin pressure, prompting pilots to descend rapidly. Upon landing, seven passengers were treated for decompression-related symptoms by the airport medical team.
In another incident, a Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating flight JL8696 from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency descent from 36,000 ft to about 10,500 ft in under 10 minutes due to a cabin pressure alert. Oxygen masks were deployed, and panic ensued, with some passengers reportedly writing farewell messages amid fears of a crash. The plane safely diverted to Kansai International Airport in Osaka, landing at 8:50 p.m. All 191 passengers and crew were unharmed.
Before we delve into the concept, we must know that airplanes are pressurised to simulate a lower altitude, typically around 6,000 to 8,000 ft, even when the plane is flying much higher. This pressurisation is crucial for passenger safety, as it helps to prevent oxygen deficiency. This process is called cabin pressurisation, in which air is pumped into an aircraft or spacecraft to create a safe breathing environment for humans flying at high altitudes.