An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operating as flight ET640 from Addis Ababa to Mumbai, was forced to make an emergency landing in Mumbai early Friday morning after experiencing cabin depressurization mid-flight. The incident occurred while the aircraft was cruising at 33,000 feet over the Arabian Sea.

Following the emergency landing at 1:42 AM, medical teams at Mumbai Airport attended to seven passengers who reported decompression-related symptoms. One of the seven passengers required hospitalization.

Cabin pressurization is a critical safety feature in modern aircraft, allowing them to fly at high altitudes where oxygen levels are insufficient for humans to breathe. Aircraft cabins are sealed and pressurized with conditioned air and oxygen to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and crew. In rare instances, the pressurization system can malfunction, leading to a drop in cabin pressure. The Ethiopian Airlines incident is one such instance, which prompted the pilots to initiate a rapid descent to a lower altitude, according to data from Flightradar24.

The incident comes just days after a similar health scare on an Air India flight from London Heathrow to Mumbai on June 23, where eleven passengers, including six crew members, experienced dizziness and nausea. That flight was operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, and the cause of the illness is currently under investigation.

Airlines globally have been vigilant in implementing precautions in every possible way. Air India is investigating the incident and has notified the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).