Passengers on a diverted Air India flight from Dubai on Thursday have landed safely in Kochi on an alternate aircraft.
Nearly 250 passengers were flying on flight AI-934 bound for India's Cochin International Airport, when the Dreamliner experienced a drop in cabin pressure as it cruised at 37,000 feet.
Oxygen masks were automatically deployed and the flight crew descended to 10,000 feet. The pilot in command made the decision to divert from the original flight path and land the jet in Mumbai.
Local media first reported the incident, citing a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“An incident of low pressure was reported in Air India Boeing Fleet B 787, Flight No. AI-934 (Dubai-Cochin). The flight was diverted to Mumbai, and it landed safely,” said the DGCA.
180 passengers from the diverted flight landed in Kochi just after 4am on Friday morning, and the remaining travellers followed on another Air India flight that landed at the same airport before 7.30am.
The DCGA is investigating the incident and has grounded both the aircraft and the crew until further notice, reports The Times of India.
"Flight AI 934 operating from Dubai to Cochin was diverted to Mumbai yesterday due to a technical issue," a spokesperson from Air India told The National.
"The B787 aircraft landed safely at Mumbai at 1912 hrs with 247 passengers and crew. An alternate aircraft was arranged to carry passengers from Mumbai to Kochi. The matter has been reported to the DGCA."
Air India Dubai flight diverted to Muscat
Thursday's incident was not the first for Air India this week. On Sunday, an Air India flight from Calicut that was scheduled to land in Dubai was diverted to Muscat after the crew detected a burning smell in the galley.
“AI Express flight had a technical diversion to Muscat at 1.47am as the cabin crew felt there was a smell in the forward galley,” PP Singh, Air India’s regional manager, told The National.
“As a precautionary measure, the pilot decided to land in Muscat for further checks."
On Wednesday, a GoAir flight in India was also diverted after the windscreen cracked mid-air due to bad weather.
Earlier this month, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that about 30 similar incidents take place each day, but typically have no safety implications.
