Post by : Jyoti Gupta

Photo:Facebook

A passenger flight traveling from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport on Monday evening after a sudden loss of cabin pressure triggered onboard alarms and a sharp descent.

The flight, operating under a code-share agreement and flown by a budget airline, was carrying 191 passengers and crew when the pilots detected an issue with the aircraft's pressurisation system. The Boeing 737-800, en route to Tokyo Narita, was diverted to Osaka and landed safely at approximately 8:50 PM local time.

No injuries were reported. However, passengers described a frightening experience, with oxygen masks dropping from overhead and the plane rapidly descending from over 10,000 metres to 3,000 metres within 20 minutes.

One passenger described the ordeal on social media, writing: “It felt like life and death. My legs are still shaking.” Others echoed similar fears, calling the drop abrupt and terrifying.

After landing, passengers were kept onboard for more than an hour. Following complaints, the airline reportedly offered compensation of 15,000 yen (roughly USD 104) per passenger. However, travellers were informed that they must contact the airline directly to claim the payment.

Officials later confirmed the incident was caused by an irregularity in the cabin pressure system, prompting the pilots to act swiftly to ensure passenger safety.

The Boeing 737-800 model has been involved in several high-profile safety incidents in recent years. In 2024, a crash involving the same model in South Korea claimed 179 lives. In 2022, a similar aircraft was involved in China’s worst aviation disaster this century, killing all 132 on board.

The flight operator has not issued a detailed statement, but its parent company clarified that the affected aircraft was part of a separately managed airline unit.