The Aviation Herald — A Nordwind Airbus A321-200, registration VP-BGH performing flight N4-1606 from Heraklion to Moscow, was climbing through FL250 out of Heraklion when the crew initiated an emergency descent to FL070 due to problem with the cabin pressure, the passenger oxygen masks were not released. The aircraft returned to Heraklion for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure.
The aircraft is reported to have climbed to 25,000 feet when the problem arose, and it aircraft dropped quickly to 7,000 feet over the Mediterranean before returning to Heraklion airport some 40 minutes after departure.
A passenger reported children on board felt pressure on their ears while the aircraft was rapidly descending, the oxygen masks did not deploy. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Heraklion about 14 hours after landing back.
