Japan Airlines Flight Plunges 26,000ft Before Emergency Landing

A Boeing 737 plane flying from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency landing in Osaka after a sudden pressurisation failure forced it to drop nearly 26,000ft in 10 minutes on Monday (30).

Flight JL8696/IJ004 – operated under a codeshare deal between Japan Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Spring Airlines Japan – departed from the Shanghai Pudong airport in China for the Tokyo Narita airport in Japan but made an emergency landing at the Kansai airport in Osaka at around 8.50pm local time.

According to Japan’s transport ministry, the aircraft’s alarm system detected an abnormality in the mechanism responsible for maintaining cabin pressure.

Suspecting cabin depressurisation, the pilot declared an emergency to air traffic control and diverted the Boeing 737-800 plane to Kansai, Kyodo News reported.

“On June 30, Flight JL8696 experienced a malfunction with the cabin pressurisation system, accompanied by an alert indicating an abnormal cabin altitude pressure level,” Japan Airlines said in a statement shared with The Independent.

“In accordance with emergency procedures, the flight descended to a safe altitude. It is important to clarify that rapid decompression did not occur. However, due to the potential for a decrease in cabin pressure, oxygen masks were deployed as a precautionary measure. The descent was conducted in accordance with standard safety protocols to ensure passenger and crew safety.”

The exact cause of the incident was under investigation.

There were 191 passengers and crew on board the aircraft. The plane reportedly rapidly descended from about 36,000 feet to just below 10,500 feet in under 10 minutes.

“As of now, there have been no reports of injuries or health concerns among passengers or crew,” the airline said in its statement.

The airline has reportedly offered them compensation.

The airline confirmed that flight JL8696/IJ004 is operated under a lease agreement with Spring Japan. While Japan Airlines is the transport operator, Spring Japan supplies the aircraft and the crew.

News reports said panic spread among passengers as oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, with many fearing the plane might crash due to the sudden change in cabin pressure.

One passenger, identified only as Wang by Hong Kong’s The Standard, said that her composure broke the moment she saw flight attendants on the verge of tears.

She recalled the cabin falling into an “eerie silence” as oxygen masks dropped down from the panels above.

Japan Airlines said the Civil Aviation Bureau reviewed the incident and “did not classify it as a ‘serious’ incident”. The plane was, however, grounded after it landed.

“We are fully cooperating with the Transport Safety Board and conducting an internal investigation to determine the root cause of the system malfunction,” the airline said.

“We are actively cooperating with authorities and will implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.”

The incident again raised concerns about the safety of Boeing 737 aircraft, a model involved in multiple serious accidents over the years.

Since 2000, various versions of the 737 jetliner have been linked to at least a dozen fatal crashes worldwide, including the China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 disaster in 2022 and the Jeju Air crash in South Korea last year.