Eurowings Discover Flight 4Y7, operated with the Airbus A330-300 with the registration D-AIKA, suffered a pressure drop in Irish airspace on Sunday morning en route from Puerto Plata to Frankfurt am Main. The machine made an emergency call and was diverted to Düsseldorf by air traffic control.

According to official information, there were 179 passengers on board. For reasons that are still unclear, the cabin pressure has dropped over the Atlantic – near Ireland. The pilots left the cruising altitude of around 12.000 meters as part of a so-called emergency descent. The long-haul jet then continued the journey at an altitude of around 3.000 meters. In Germany, Düsseldorf was then assigned as the landing place. The oxygen masks deployed on board.

According to Eurowings Discover, all passengers and crew members should have left D-AIKA safely. Neither the crew nor the passengers should have complained about health problems after landing. "As soon as we noticed a slight loss of pressure in the cabin, we left the cruising altitude, descended to a safe altitude and planned a safety landing," explains the airline.

The oxygen masks are triggered in the event of a loss of pressure, otherwise the occupants could suffer health problems. At an altitude of around 3.000 meters, the pressure difference is significantly lower, so the flight can continue without oxygen masks.

Technicians will now examine the D-AIKA closely, because at the moment it is not known what caused the pressure drop. This Airbus A330-300 will only be put back into scheduled service once the cause has been found and rectified. The temporary failure of this machine could have unforeseeable effects on the Eurowings Discover flight schedule for the next few days.