Mumbai: Seven persons, including two members of the cabin crew, fell ill on an Air India flight from London to Mumbai on Monday. They were treated after the flight landed in Mumbai, the airline said.
According to officials, everything was fine when the flight departed Heathrow in London. However, somewhere on the way, five passengers started complaining of dizziness and nausea. So did two crew members.
The matter has been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and a probe has been ordered. It will be checked whether this had something to do with the food served on board or the cabin pressure.
“This is a strange occurence. If cabin pressure was to blame, others may have faced similar difficulties. The food served on board is also thoroughly checked before being loaded on the aircraft. However, it is possible that the seven had something to eat or drink that other passengers or crew did not have. If that is the case, the particular item will be isolated and checked,” an official said.
Experts say that there is cause for concern as such incidents are rare. There could have been a major crisis if more people had fallen ill. Even the pilots of long-haul flights have their meals on board. However, as a rule, the pilot and co-pilot are never served the same items. This is done to prevent both of them falling ill due to a particular food item that is contaminated.
In this case, the pilots of the Boeing 737 declared a medical emergency before landing at Mumbai. Medical staff were ready to take care of the ill passengers and crew immediately after the aircraft landed.
This comes at a time when safety checks have been enhanced on all flights – particularly those being operated by Air India – after the deadly air crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 241 passengers and crew, as well as several people on the ground.
