Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 makes emergency landing in Mumbai

An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight (ET640) en route from Addis Ababa to Mumbai encountered a serious mid-air technical failure late Friday night, resulting in a sudden cabin depressurization while flying over the Arabian Sea at 33,000 feet.

The incident caused health complications for seven passengers, one of whom was later hospitalized in critical condition.

The Boeing aircraft, carrying around 300 passengers and 11 crew members, safely performed an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai at 1:55 AM.

Mid-air depressurization occurs when cabin air pressure drops rapidly, often due to technical faults in the pressurization system or structural breaches, leading to symptoms like difficulty in breathing, dizziness, and discomfort.

Upon detecting the issue, the pilot declared an emergency and coordinated a safe landing in Mumbai, where medical teams were on standby. Six passengers were treated on-site, while one required hospital admission.

The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s safety protocols. Just days earlier, on June 12, an Air India Boeing 787-8 flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed just 36 seconds after takeoff, resulting in 241 fatalities out of 242 people onboard.

The back-to-back events have intensified concerns over maintenance and operational safety of Dreamliner aircraft.