Nosebleeds on Indian flight after crew forget to pressurise cabin

Dozens of passengers on an Indian flight suffered nosebleeds and other minor injuries after the crew forgot to pressurise the cabin.

The Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur was forced to deploy oxygen masks and make an emergency landing on Thursday morning after an agonising 45 minutes for some passengers, about 30 of whom had headaches or nosebleeds.

The airline confirmed the incident and said all 166 passengers were safe. “First aid was administered to few guests who complained of ear pain, bleeding nose etc,” it said in a statement. “The flight’s cockpit crew has been taken off scheduled duties pending investigation.”

Passengers posted footage on social media showing air masks hanging from the ceiling and claiming they were given no explanation by the crew for the conditions onboard the Boeing 737.

Five passengers were treated at a Mumbai hospital. “The patients are being evaluated by our ear, nose and throat consultant,” Rajendra Patankar, the chief operating officer at Dr Balabhai Nanavati hospital, told the Indian Express. “They have suffered barotrauma of ears due to change in air pressure.”

He said all five were in a stable condition and had been advised to avoid air travel for a week.

Air inside a plane flying at cruising altitude (about 36,000ft above sea level) is usually pressurised to simulate conditions at about 8,000ft, a healthy level although still high enough to inhibit the rate at which oxygen is carried in the blood.

Rapid decreases in air pressure cause air inside the middle ear and sinuses to escape the body in an attempt to equalise with the surrounding environment – usually experienced as a popping sensation.

Sustained low pressure can strain or damage tissue in the nose and ears, causing ruptures, bleeding or headaches.

Jet Airways suspended two pilots for five years in January after a male pilot slapped his female co-pilot during a flight from London to Mumbai. She reportedly stormed out of the cockpit and the male pilot eventually left to find her, leaving the aircraft on auto-pilot.

A Qatar Airways flight made an emergency landing in the south Indian city of Chennai last November, after a woman used her sleeping husband’s thumb to unlock his phone, where she discovered evidence he was cheating on her.

She reportedly began attacking her husband and cabin crew were unable to restore order, forcing the emergency stop.