Singapore – On March 24 (Sunday), the oxygen masks on Scoot flight TR966 from Singapore to Taipei were activated while 37,000 ft above ground level.
According to Taiwanese news outlet ETtoday, the pilot said the plane experienced abnormal cabin pressure during descent which led to the release of oxygen masks.
In another article published by The Straits Times, it was reported that the plane’s descent caused unease and vomiting to an infant.
A Scoot spokesperson noted that there were no other cases of injury or major discomfort experienced.
Flight TR996 landed at Taipei Taoyuan Airport at 1:15 pm. All 180 passengers disembarked safely.
The aircraft was grounded for further investigations.
The return flight TR997 from Taipei to Singapore, scheduled to leave at 2pm on Sunday, was delayed due to the incident.
A replacement aircraft, subject to regulatory approval, was scheduled to depart at 12:45 am on Monday. The replacement plane was said to have been dispatched from Singapore to Taipei as reported by ETtoday.
Scoot provided meal vouchers to its affected passengers at the airport for the delay.
Meanwhile, a picture of the incident was shared to Scoot’s Facebook page, but the photo has been taken down and cannot be accessed anymore.
The photo, which was uploaded by a passenger on the affected flight, included a note about the “terrifying experience.”
Another passenger shared that the pilot made an announcement during the flight about the plane experiencing problems which caused the dip in cabin pressure.
Aviation enthusiast, Saud Sultan, stated that oxygen masks being activated is common when an aircraft experiences depressurization and safety measures are deployed.
“According to Flightradar24, (an app that tracks flight in real-time), the aircraft was flying at 37,000 ft, so yes, it [the oxygen masks] would have been activated and the aircraft made an emergency descent to a lower altitude at around 15,000 ft – 10,000 ft, a standard procedure during emergency depressurization of the aircraft,” said Mr Saud.