Passengers describe terror as AirAsia flight to Bali plunges and ‘hysterical’ crew starts screaming
‘The panic was escalated because of the behaviour of staff who were screaming, looked tearful and shocked’
Passengers on an Indonesia AirAsia flight from Australia to the holiday island of Bali described a panicked flight crew announcing an emergency and oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling after their airliner lost cabin air pressure and rapidly descended.
Flight QZ535 returned safely on Sunday to the airport at Perth where many of the 145 passengers spoke to media about the fear and confusion on board.
“The panic was escalated because of the behaviour of staff who were screaming, looked tearful and shocked,” passenger Clare Askew told reporters. “Now, I get it, but we looked to them for reassurance and we didn’t get any, we were more worried because of how panicked they were.”
The budget Indonesian airline said in a statement the pilot turned back “following a technical issue to ensure the safety of passengers”.
Hostesses started screaming: ‘Emergency, emergency.’ They just went hysterical
“We commend our pilots for landing the aircraft safely and complying with standard operating procedure,” AirAsia Group head of safety Captain Ling Liong Tien said. “We are fully committed to the safety of our guests and crew and we will continue to ensure that we adhere to the highest safety standards.”