Prashant Sharma had never realised that flying could be “so terrifying” until catching Jet Airways’ Mumbai-to-Jaipur flight on Thursday morning.
Five to 10 minutes after take-off, he said, he heard screams all around him and saw many of his co-passengers bleeding from the nose or ear.
“I was sitting on an aisle seat. Suddenly, air pressure in the cabin dropped and oxygen masks came down. I saw the passenger sitting next to me bleeding from the nose. Several others complained of extreme pain in their ears,” Sharma, 39, told PTI.
Apparently, the cockpit crew had forgotten to operate a switch that controls cabin pressure. “The crew announced that the plane would return,” a passenger said.
“It then circled overhead for around half an hour before landing. There was no announcement (on the problem) from the crew.”
Five of the 30 passengers who had suffered nasal and ear bleeding were taken to Nanavati Hospital, treated and discharged.
An ENT specialist said the patients suffered from barotrauma of the ear, caused by a change in air or water pressure, a risk during flights and scuba-diving.
“The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear and the outside world. There are bubbles constantly moving into the middle ear, which balance the ear’s inner pressure. Ear barotrauma happens when the tube gets blocked, partially or completely,” he said.
Damages demanded
One of the five taken to hospital has demanded Rs 30 lakh in compensation besides 100 upgrade vouchers, PTI said citing Jet sources.
The passenger has allegedly threatened to “share” the video of the flight if his demands are not met, they said. Airlines are liable to pay compensation if any passenger gets injured while travelling with them.
“The passenger claimed that Jet Airways has not taken care of its customers and therefore he should be paid Rs 30 lakh in addition to 100 upgrade vouchers to enable him to travel in business class on an economy class ticket,” a source said.
The passenger has also threatened legal recourse. “He claimed that doctors have advised him not to fly for five days and sought hotel stay from us, which we have already provided to him.”
