Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing Following Depressurization

It hasn't been a good week for new Airbus planes. Five days after an A340-600 bound for Etihad Airways met its end against a concrete retaining wall at Toulouse-Blagnac airport during an engine run-up, six persons were injured following a depressurization incident Wednesday during a shakedown flight of an A330 destined for Air Mauritius.

According to Thomson Financial, two of the 10 persons onboard were transported to the hospital with serious injuries after the aircraft landed in Toulouse. An Airbus spokeswoman said the two had been "unconscious for a while" following the accident.

Four others underwent tests for a variety of health problems caused by the sudden depressurization, including possible spine injuries and inner ear problems.

Three persons were in the cockpit when the incident occurred. "The seven others were moving between the cockpit and the cabin when a sudden and clearly strong depressurization occurred," an unnamed Airbus press agent told The Associated Press. "Those standing couldn't reach the masks and fell unconscious because of a lack of oxygen."

The altitude at which the plane depressurized was not reported, nor is it immediately known what led the widebody aircraft to lose cabin pressure.

FMI: www.airbus.com