Two months after a sudden drop in cabin air pressure in a Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight caused injuries in some passengers, one of them, Mukesh Sharma, has been diagnosed with permanent hearing loss. Sharma, a PhD researcher from University of Aveiro, Portugal, who suffered bleeding in his ears in the Incident on September 20, said he underwent an audiometry test on November 12 at a Jaipur hospital to diagnose the extent of his hearing loss.
“The reports revealed that I have suffered a permanent hearing loss. There were a number of soft sounds I wasn’t able to detect and unless a person is standing face-to-face with me and speaking, I am not able to listen to the words. While speaking on phone, I use my left ear as the right one is most affected,” said Sharma. Thirty out of 166 passengers of the Mumbai-Jaipur flight suffered a headache, nose and ear bleeding after the pilots forgot to switch on the system to maintain cabin pressure.
The flight was turned back to Mumbai after take-off after oxygen masks dropped during the climb. Sharma, along with the other victims, is now preparing paperwork to file a case in consumer courts against the physical and psychological strain caused by the airlines. The passengers said they have not received any compensation as the probe into the incident is still underway.