A Shenzhen A330 lost cabin pressure mid-flight and had to drop over 5,000 meters (18,000 feet) in mere minutes before landing back at its place of departure.

A Shenzhen Airlines Airbus A330-300 (registered B-302E) was en route for 25 minutes after leaving from Shenzhen (SHE) to Xian (XIY) on August 9, 2020, when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the sudden loss of cabin pressure.

The aircraft was forced to drop from 9100 meters (30,000 feet) to 3,600 meters (12,000 feet) altitude in less than five minutes, where it leveled off. The Shenzhen A330 attempted to climb again before facing similar problems with cabin pressure when it reached 6,000 meters (20,000 feet). The flight crew decided to divert back to Shenzhen after a total of 100 minutes on air.

The aircraft was replaced at the airport with another A330 and arrived safely at Xian after a 4.5 hour delay. Shenzhen’s Airbus aircraft that experienced technical difficulties remains grounded at the airport as of August 10, 2020.