A Ryanair passenger plane flying from Chania to Eindhoven has made an emergency landing in Germany after suffering a pressurization problem. Ryanair Flight 5842, a Boeing 737-800, was flying north of Ravensburg near the border with Austria when it declared an emergency, changed its course, and initiated a rapid descent to an altitude where the air is breathable. The aircraft continued to fly for nearly another hour until it made a safe emergency landing at Frankfurt-Hahn airport. An airline spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment on the incident, but passenger Dimitri Cools said the emergency was prompted by low cabin pressure and a smell of fire. There were no reports of injuries. The plane left Chania International Airport at 12.55pm local time and was scheduled to arrive in Eindhoven around 3.25pm, but the Ryanair website it said a “technical fault” forced the plane to declare an emergency.
In a statement, Ryanair said the plane experienced an inflight depressurization, after which the crew deployed oxygen masks and initiated a controlled descent. A spare aircraft from Dublin was used to continue the flight to the Netherlands from Hahn.
