On Monday, at least 11 people, including six cabin crew members, felt dizzy and nauseated on an Air India flight from London to Mumbai. However, Air India officially confirmed that only five passengers and two crew members were affected. The incident occurred aboard flight AI-130, operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft.
What Air India said?
In a statement, Air India acknowledged the situation. “On board flight AI-130 from London Heathrow to Mumbai, five passengers and two crew reported feeling dizzy and nauseous during different phases of the flight,” said Air India. “The flight landed safely in Mumbai where our medical teams were ready to provide immediate assistance.”
Two passengers and two crew members who continued to feel unwell after landing were taken to the medical room at the airport for further examination. They were subsequently discharged.
Air India assured that an investigation into the incident was underway and that appropriate notifications had been made to the regulator.
Cause of illness under probe
While the cause of illness is under probe, possibilities include food poisoning or a decrease in cabin pressure. Poor oxygen supply—which can lead to hypoxia—is one known cause of dizziness and nausea during flights. However, a source familiar with the incident suggested that a drop in cabin pressurisation was unlikely.
“In the event of depressurisation, overhead oxygen masks would have been deployed,” the source noted. “That didn’t happen during this flight.” This led the source to suggest food poisoning as the most probable cause.
Food poisoning suspected
The pilots were not affected by the incident, which adds weight to the food poisoning theory. According to the source, pilots receive their meals after passengers and cabin crew. Airline policy dictates that the commander and the first officer receive different meals from different kitchens.
This practice is a proactive safety measure meant to eliminate a single point of failure:
“If both pilots were to get food poisoning, flight safety could be compromised,” the source explained. “Serving meals from separate kitchens preserves crew redundancy, ensuring the flight can continue safely.”
The incident comes at a time when Boeing aircraft, including the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, are under heightened scrutiny, especially after plane crash in Ahmedabad. However, Air India emphasised that this was not a structural issue with the aircraft itself.