Qantas flight experiences mid-air scare, passengers given oxygen masks

Melbourne, Jan.25 (ANI): A Qantas airliner carrying 99 passengers from Adelaide to Melbourne was forced rapidly to descend 26,000 feet after a sudden cabin depressurisation on Tuesday morning.

Passengers were asked to put on oxygen masks that dropped from the overhead consoles on the Boeing 737-400 as pilots of flight QF670 announced that they would have to make a rapid descent from a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet to just 10,000 feet.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the incident occurred 30 minutes from Melbourne and the pilots obtained air traffic control permission to fly at the lower altitude for the rest of the flight into Melbourne.

Earlier, the 21-year-old plane left Adelaide at 6.13 a.m. and had just crossed into Victoria when the cabin lost pressure.

Qantas spokeswoman Sophia Connelly said the de-pressurization was related to the air-conditioning in the aircraft.

The aircraft eventually landed in Melbourne at 7.53 a.m. without incident. (ANI)