While fears about flight safety persist, following concerns initially raised with Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 747, another safety incident involving a Boeing aircraft has occurred, this time with a South Korean airline.
On April 29, Air Premia flight YP731, departing from Incheon, Korea, scheduled for 8:50 a.m. to Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan, reported a problem with the pressurization system, which regulates the pressure inside the aircraft’s cabin, mid-flight.
Approximately an hour into the flight, the decision was made to return the plane to Incheon airport, and the altitude was significantly lowered from 37,000ft to 10,000ft to maintain cabin pressure. Oxygen masks were deployed according to safety protocols for the 328 passengers on board.
All crew and passengers safely landed back at the airport. The airline replaced the aircraft, and the rescheduled flight departed for Tokyo the same day around 6 p.m., approximately 9 hours behind the original schedule.
The aircraft involved was the Boeing 787, different from the one used by Alaska Airlines, whose door fell off mid-flight in January.
The Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation, the aircraft is reportedly undergoing examination to determine the cause of the grounding. Once safety risks are addressed, the plane will resume operation.
Air Premia is a relatively new airline based in Korea, offering more affordable flights to customers. It also operates flights from Los Angeles to Incheon, Korea six times a week.
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
