One hospitalised after Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner makes emergency landing in Mumbai after cabin depressurisation

Mumbai: A Mumbai-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa was forced to make an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport early Friday after experiencing mid-air cabin depressurisation.

Flight ET640, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (registration ET-AXS), was cruising at 33,000 feet over the Arabian Sea when the depressurisation warning was triggered, prompting the crew to execute a rapid descent. The aircraft landed safely in Mumbai at 1.42 am, according to data from Flightradar24.

“On landing, seven passengers were attended to by the airport medical team for decompression-related symptoms, out of which one required hospitalisation,” a source told the Times of India.

Cabin depressurisation, though rare, is a potentially life-threatening occurrence in commercial aviation. Aircraft cabins are normally pressurised to ensure an adequate oxygen supply at high altitudes.

Failures can stem from structural issues, system malfunctions, or even crew error. In emergencies, oxygen masks deploy automatically to protect passengers.

This incident comes just days after another scare involving an Air India flight from Heathrow to Mumbai on June 23, where 11 people — including six crew members — reported dizziness and nausea aboard a Boeing 777. That case remains under investigation.

While the exact cause of the Ethiopian Airlines depressurisation is yet to be confirmed, aviation authorities are expected to conduct a detailed probe to ensure passenger safety on future flights.