In-flight emergency terrifies passengers on Spring Airlines Japan flight from Shanghai to Tokyo

A Japan Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport on Monday evening following a suspected cabin pressurization failure.

Flight JL8696, operated by a Boeing 737-800 with 191 passengers and crew on board, was cruising at about 11,000 meters when a mechanical issue triggered the deployment of oxygen masks. The aircraft descended rapidly to around 3,200 meters within 10 minutes as a safety measure. The pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Kansai Airport near Osaka, where the plane landed without incident. No injuries were reported.

Passengers described the sudden descent as alarming, noting that oxygen masks were released and the plane lost altitude quickly around 6:40 pm (local time).

According to Kyodo News, the flight crew suspected depressurization and acted swiftly to ensure safety.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism confirmed that the aircraft had issued a pressurization system failure alert.

Aviation authorities are currently investigating the cause of the incident.