New Delhi: In a shocking case reported onboard an Air India flight from Delhi to Hong Kong, passengers were left shocked after the plane’s door started shaking and making hissing sounds. The Boeing 787 aircraft had just become airborne and had flown for around an hour, when the incident happened. The incident happened on June 1.
Flight attendants plug napkins in door
According to reports, the Air India flight crew plugged paper napkins inside the door to fix the issue and stop the creaking sound. Passengers claimed that the crew sealed the thin gap on top of the door using paper napkins and then pushed it to quieten the sound. The flight continued its journey, despite the problem.
This is not the first instance of a door malfunctioning on a B787 flight. Earlier, in 2019, a Japan Airlines plane and in 2022 2 cases involving the German carrier TUI Airlines and American Airlines have been reported, where the plane witnessed mid-air scare, following problems with its doors. However in cases reported from foreign countries, the pilots decided to divert the planes back to the airport of origin, because of the noisy doors.
Safety of Boeing 787 aircraft came into focus following the unfortunate plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. he aviation disaster killed 242 of the 243 passengers on board and also led to several deaths on the ground. This incident involving an Air India plane took place before the Ahmedabad crash, but has been reported now.
One of the pilots quoted by Times of India said that though such an incident can be unnerving for passengers, it does not pose any major risk to flight safety. He said that aircraft door cannot open mid-air.
The incident happened on flight AI-314, which had left for Hong Kong almost an hour later than scheduled, according to a social media post. It seemed that the doors wouyld com,e off , said a passenger.
Air India meanwhile dismissed the safety concerns, saying that the Hong Kong flight had undergone routine checking and maintenance before its departure. They also claimed that the flight attendants managed to fix the hissing sound while the flight remained airborne, and after landing in Hong Kong, the plane was once again checked by maintenance engineers.
Air India’s statement read, “All safety parameters were found to be in compliance and the aircraft was cleared for service. There was no such noise during the return flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi. We would like to reiterate that the safety of our customers and crew remains top priority.”
