Jet Airways travellers endure nasal bleeding as crew fails to control cabin pressure

New Delhi, Sep 20 Several travellers on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur suffered nose and ear bleeding Thursday after the crew "forgot" to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure, officials said.

"During climb, the crew forgot to choose bleed switch due to which cabin pressurisation couldn't be maintained. Accordingly, oxygen masks got deployed," the official at aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said.

The Boeing 737 aircraft came back to Mumbai because of "loss of cabin pressure" and the pilots have been taken off duty pending investigation, a Jet Airways representative said.

Citing initial information, the authority said few of travellers have nose bleeding.

"Out of 166 travellers on board, 30 travellers are affected... some have nose bleeding, few have ear bleeding and some are complaining of migraine," he included.

There were 166 travellers and 5 team members on load up flight 9W 697.

The Jet Airways representative expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to travellers and said alternative arrangements of action are being made for the travellers.

Television footage of a video clearly taken by a traveller showed oxygen masks hanging from overhead compartments and travellers breathing through them.

The authority said all the affected travellers are being attended to by doctors at the airport.

According to the airline, the aircraft landed normally in Mumbai.

"All guests were deplaned securely and taken to the terminal. Emergency treatment was controlled to couple of visitors who griped of ear pain, bleeding nose etc," it said.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said it has asked for the DGCA to immediately file the report on the issue.

"The group is being derostered. Of the 166 people on board, 30 were affected and have been given treatment," the service said in a tweet.

An authority at Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) told that going by the preliminary information, it could be a case of negligence on the part of the pilots since controlling internal compression control is part of check before operating a flight.

The authority said the DGCA would look into the incident first and then a decision would be gone up against whether the issue ought to be alluded to the AAIB.

Serious incidents and accidents are alluded to the AAIB for further investigation.