Etihad Airways flight makes sudden altitude drop mid-air; passengers report terrifying moments before safe landing
Kolkata: A major mid-air scare unfolded on Saturday evening when an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Kolkata suddenly plunged several hundred feet during its descent, leaving passengers shaken but unharmed, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Flight EY 222, carrying 169 passengers, experienced the unexpected drop around 7:30 pm, roughly 30 minutes before landing. The incident, believed to be caused by a technical issue, caught both the passengers and air traffic controllers off guard.
Sources said the aircraft, while approaching Kolkata, suddenly lost altitude without warning. Although the seat belt sign was on, many passengers were jolted in their seats and began praying as the plane rapidly descended. The pilots soon radioed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, informing them of the emergency descent.
Experts note that such rapid descents are typically executed during sudden cabin pressure drops or when aircraft encounter severe turbulence.
Flight EY 222 landed safely at Kolkata Airport at 7:58 pm, where passengers broke into relieved chatter after minutes of tense silence. No injuries were reported
Airport engineers immediately began inspecting the aircraft for possible faults, and the return flight was later cancelled as a precaution.
Earlier in the day, a Scoot Airlines flight in Singapore also experienced a rapid descent, injuring two passengers. Similar incidents have been reported globally — in July, two Southwest Airlines crew members were injured when their aircraft plunged suddenly near California.
