Flight to Hongqiao diverted after malfunction
The route of Flight MU5352 as recorded on Flightradar24 after it diverted to Changbei International Airport in Nanchang after reports of a mechanical malfunction.
A China Eastern Airlines' flight from Shenzhen to Shanghai diverted to an airport in east China's Jiangxi Province on Tuesday evening after a mechanical malfunction. No one was injured.
Flight MU5352, an Airbus 330-300, landed at Changbei International Airport in Nanchang at 7:21pm. It had left Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province at 6pm and was due to land at Hongqiao airport at 7:47pm.
A mechanical malfunction was indicated when the aircraft was cruising toward Hongqiao and the captain decided to divert to ensure safety, China Eastern said in a statement.
The aircraft descended rapidly from 10,000 meters to 3,000 meters at around 6:40pm, according to plane-tracking website Flightradar24. The aircrew reportedly enacted emergency code 7700, indicating a dangerous condition such as a mechanical malfunction.
Photos posted on Weibo.com showed ambulances and fire engines on standby on the tarmac after the aircraft landed safely.
An industry insider said that in the case of decompression on an aircraft, the captain would make a rapid descent to release pressure in the cabin before making an emergency landing at the nearest airport.
