Overview

• Flight JL8696/IJ004, operated by Spring Airlines Japan under a Japan Airlines codeshare, departed Shanghai for Tokyo when a pressurisation alert at 36,000 feet forced a rapid descent to 10,500 feet in under ten minutes.
• Oxygen masks deployed automatically as cabin pressure fell, prompting widespread panic and leading some passengers to write farewell notes or wills onboard.
• Pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Kansai International Airport, landing safely at 8:50 p.m. on June 30 with all 191 passengers and crew uninjured.
• Spring Airlines Japan has offered each passenger ¥15,000 in compensation and one night’s hotel accommodation to claimants.
• Japan’s transport ministry has opened a formal investigation into the pressurisation system malfunction, renewing scrutiny of Boeing 737 safety after recent accidents.