Indian flight makes emergency landing with bleeding passengers after cabin pressure drop

Muscat: Several passengers suffered nose and ear bleeds due to low cabin pressure on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur, forcing pilots on board to abort the flight shortly after take-off.
In the presence of low pressure, oxygen masks were deployed and some passengers began bleeding from their noses and ears. Airport medical teams administered first-aid to all those who had immediate need of it soon after the flight returned to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
A statement issued by Jet Airways in this regard said: “Jet Airways Flight 9W 697 Mumbai to Jaipur of 20th September 2018 made an air turn back due to loss in cabin pressure. The B737 aircraft, with 166 guests and five crew landed normally in Mumbai. All guests were deplaned safely and taken to the terminal.
“First aid was administered to few guests who complained of ear pain, bleeding nose etc.,” added the statement. “The flight’s cockpit crew has been taken off scheduled duties pending investigation. The airline is making alternative flight arrangements for guests on this flight. Jet Airways regrets the inconvenience caused to its guests.”
Jet Airways flight 9W697, which carried 166 passengers on board, suffered a technical fault due to pilots forgetting to switch on something called a ‘bleed switch’ which normalises cabin pressure inside the plane, media reports said.
The airline staff who were crewing the plane have now been pulled off the aircraft and have been taken off-duty, with an investigation into the same expected to take place shortly. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is also launching its own parallel investigation.
However, passengers on board the plane have said that the airline crew were completely insensitive to the situation, with no warning being given about the drop in cabin pressure, even after oxygen masks descended from the overhead areas.