Summary
- China Airlines flight CI 919 experienced pressurization issues and made an emergency return to Taipei after takeoff.
- The aircraft maintained a lower altitude through the return, but there was no lack of pressurization.
- Passengers were later dispatched to Hong Kong on a distinct aircraft, and the Airbus A330 will undergo maintenance before returning to service.
On the evening of January twentieth, a supposedly routine China Airlines flight initially sure for Hong Kong – scheduled as flight CI 919, became quite the rollercoaster for passengers after the aircraft experienced some probable pressurization issues and was forced to make an emergency return to Taipei lower than two hours after departure.
Returning to the purpose of origin
Originally scheduled to depart from Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport at roughly 16:55, flight CI 919 took off at about 18:28 on the day of the incident. No cause for the numerous delay is yet known. Operating the flight that day was considered one of China Airlines’ many Airbus A330-300s, an 18-year-old registered B-18309, and the aircraft had previously accomplished a successful flight service as CI 152 and 153 between Taipei and Osaka earlier.
After taking off from Taipei as CI 919 and being set for Hong Kong International Airport in a south-westerly direction, the aircraft looked as if it would have climbed successfully to a cruising altitude of about 36,000 feet. All the pieces about this flight looked routine; nevertheless, data from Flightradar24 showed that the Airbus widebody suddenly made a U-turn and issued the 7700 emergency squawk code just below half an hour later.
Throughout the return to Taipei, data also showed how B-18309 was well maintained at 36,000 feet for a while before sharply dropping to an altitude of about 9,975 feet in roughly nine minutes alone. The aircraft then held at this lower altitude until approach and arrival, having landed safely back at its origin at around 19:34 – with the whole incident having lasted just over an hour. For context, if the aircraft had made it to Hong Kong, it could have arrived close to twenty:00 that day.
Experiencing pressurization issues
Based on China Airlines, the aircraft had an abnormal cabin pressure warning indication shortly after take-off – a sign that there was a difficulty with the aircraft’s pressurization system or a possible structural issue. With the warning alert, the flight crew declared an emergency and with air traffic control’s assistance, lowered the aircraft to a safer altitude for optimal cabin pressurization, which might explain the aircraft’s dramatic drop in altitude through the return to Taipei.
The airline also highlighted that no lack of pressure occurred during the whole ordeal. It’s price noting that upon landing safely back in Taipei on January twentieth, B-18309 didn’t return to service immediately, and is currently only scheduled to return on January twenty second when it can operate flight CI 160 to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at around 07:55, suggesting that the aircraft was sent for maintenance. Albeit, it’s still made known if it was a system or structural issue.
Photo: Omid Behzadpour | Shutterstock
As for the numerous passengers who were meant to have arrived in Hong Kong much earlier, China Airlines operated one other flight later that day to dispatch them to their intended destination. The SkyTeam alliance member utilized a distinct Airbus A330-300, a 19 years old registered B-18302, and the aircraft departed from Taipei at around 23:04 on January twentieth, and arrived safely in Hong Kong at around 00:35 the next morning.
Bottom line
All things considered, it’s extremely fortunate that the Airbus A330 didn’t experience any lack of pressurization when it was at cruising altitude, and with the warning indication it had, else the situation might have been quite different and maybe, scarier for the passengers. And hopefully, whatever was mistaken with B-18309 will likely be fixed in order that the widebody can get back to flying within the air for China Airlines.