DOZENS of passengers on a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Croatia were treated in hospital after a loss of cabin pressure, which forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Germany.
Oxygen masks were released on flight FR7312 bound for Zadar on Friday evening, with the plane diverting to Frankfurt Airport.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.con, the plan descended from 37,000 to 10,000 feet over a seven-minute period 80 minutes into the flight.
German police said 33 of 189 passengers were hospitalised, with some bleeding from their ears, reports Reuters.
Amazing video from Mr. Kevin Burke. You can see how terrified we were. No-one speaking, no-one moving. Silence and just silence.#Ryanair #nightmare pic.twitter.com/YFYRiORy2s
— Minerva Galvan (@Maingd) July 14, 2018
In a statement, Ryanair said: “In line with standard procedure, the crew deployed oxygen masks and initiated a controlled descent.”
It added that the flight landed normally and customers disembarked in Frankfurt, “where a small number received medical attention as a precaution”.
According to Reuters, a Ryanair flight left Frankfurt for Zadar on Saturday morning but police said some passengers had decided not to continue with their journey.
Ryanair said it had agreed to pay for hotels for the affected passengers but said there was a “shortage of available accommodation”.
Passenger Minerva Galvan, a Spanish journalist based in Cork, tweeted throughout the ordeal, claiming they had been “abandoned at the airport” by Ryanair.
She finally arrived in Croatia on Sunday morning after the airline organised a coach.
A picture from one of the passengers of the flight FR7312, from Dublin to Zadar. She cannot fly due her injuries. We are still in the Frankfurt-Hahn. No information, no alternatives, no place to rest.#Ryanair#nightmare@Ryanair pic.twitter.com/zcdNGHS1VF
— Minerva Galvan (@Maingd) July 14, 2018
We cannot take a plane, @Ryanair. We had an emergency landing yesterday. We are abandoned at the airport. We need help, we need to rest. This is how you care about your customers?#Ryanair pic.twitter.com/P6vM0Fowvr
— Minerva Galvan (@Maingd) July 14, 2018
End of the journey. We arrived about 2 hours ago to Zadar. We are all good. Thank to all the people who supported us during these days. #Ryanair
— Minerva Galvan (@Maingd) July 15, 2018