Overview

• The Boeing 737-800 operating as JL8696/IJ004 triggered a cabin pressurization alert and plunged from 36,000 to about 10,500 feet in under ten minutes.
• Oxygen masks deployed mid-flight and the crew declared an emergency before diverting to Kansai International Airport, where all 191 passengers and crew disembarked uninjured.
• Panicked travelers described writing wills, farewell notes and sharing PINs during the rapid descent amid fears of imminent loss of cabin pressure.
• Spring Airlines Japan has offered each passenger ¥15,000 in compensation and one night’s accommodation, with claims requiring direct contact with the airline.
• Japan’s transport ministry and Civil Aviation Bureau have launched a probe into the pressurization system malfunction, and affected flights have been grounded for maintenance checks.