Kochi:  An Air India Dreamliner aircraft carrying 247 passengers and crew on a flight from Dubai to Cochin encountered a cabin pressurisation issue en route. As a result, oxygen masks had to be deployed in the cabin, and the pilots decided to divert the flight to Mumbai, where it made a safe landing on Thursday night.

India has seen an increase in aircraft delays and turnbacks due to engineering problems in recent months. Arun Kumar, director general of civil aviation, stated that the crew had been taken off the roster and the aircraft had been grounded.

A probe has been ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to a spokeswoman for Air India, a technical issue caused flight AI-934 to divert to Mumbai. The representative stated that another plane is being planned to transfer the passengers from Mumbai to Cochin and that it arrived safely at 7:12 pm. According to an airport source, officials from the DGCA Mumbai office are on the scene conducting a preliminary inquiry.

As per sources, the eight-year-old Boeing 787-800 aircraft (VT-ANE) lost cabin pressure and deployed oxygen masks in both the passenger cabin and the cockpit after taking off from Dubai at 2:00 p.m. (local time) and travelling over the Arabian Sea at a height of over 36,000 feet. The emergency descent was started by the crew, which brought the aircraft to 10,000 feet, the level at which one may breathe without the assistance of oxygen. After passing over Goa, the plane changed course for Mumbai.

High-altitude jet aircraft have pressurised fuselages that keep the interior's pressure and temperature at levels that are suitable for human physiology. The Dreamliner, with its composite fuselage, can sustain a lower cabin pressure of roughly 6,000 ft, whereas the majority of jets have cabin air pressure similar to that experienced at an altitude of 8000 ft.

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