Latest news

Following the emergency landing of Japan Airlines (JAL) Flight 8696 bound for Narita, Japan from Shanghai on Monday, the carrier confirmed in a Tuesday statement that the pilot noticed signals indicating abnormal behavior in the plane's pressurization system mid-flight, prompting a controlled descent to safe altitude to ensure passenger and crew safety before executing the precautionary landing at Kansai at 8:48 pm.

To date, no physical discomfort has been reported among passengers or crew members, while a thorough investigation into the root cause of the pressurization malfunction remains underway, JAL said.

A JAL Boeing 737 flight from Shanghai to Narita has made an emergency landing at Kansai International Airport, Japanese media Essential Japan reported Monday night, citing the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Osaka Civil Aviation Bureau.

The flight, JL8696/IJ004, was a codeshare flight operated by Japan Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Spring Japan, Kyodo News reported Tuesday.

Japan Airlines confirmed to the Global Times on Tuesday that the aircraft involved belongs to Spring Japan.

Meanwhile, the Spring Airlines told the Global Times that it operates flights under the code 9C and is an investor in Spring Airlines Japan Co., Ltd. (flight code IJ), holding a 33 percent stake, but does not participate in its operations or management. The majority shareholder of Spring Japan is Japan Airlines.

On Tuesday, Spring Japan also released a notice on its official website, declaring cancellations of multiple flights due to operational capacity adjustments.

The cancelled flights include round-trip services between Tokyo and Shanghai scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the official website.

The notice also stated that passengers affected by the cancellations may opt for free rebooking to any available flight within the same route operated by the airline within 30 days from the original flight date, or apply for a full refund within the same 30-day period.

A social media user, Cyue, posted that the plane began a rapid descent of 7,000 meters at around 6:40 pm. About 10 minutes into the descent, oxygen masks were deployed, and a crew member announced over the intercom that an emergency descent was required. 

The airline later offered 15,000 yen ($93) in transportation compensation and provided one night of accommodation, she added.