MUMBAI: Passengers on Air India flight AI-314 from Delhi to Hong Kong endured a tense moment mid-air on June 1 when a door on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner began shaking and emitting hissing and growling noises about an hour after take-off. In a makeshift response, flight attendants stuffed paper napkins into the narrow gap at the top of the door to seal the sound and reduce vibrations. The flight, however, continued to its destination and landed safely in Hong Kong.
The incident, which occurred before the tragic June 12 Ahmedabad crash involving another Boeing aircraft, reignites concerns over the Dreamliner’s door design. This is not the first reported case of such an issue—similar problems were reported with Japan Airlines in 2019 and later with TUI Airlines and American Airlines in 2022, all involving audible noise from door seals. Unlike the Air India flight, those earlier cases prompted emergency diversions.
Despite the unsettling experience, aviation experts and pilots clarified that a hissing noise from the door doesn’t necessarily compromise cabin pressurization. Aircraft doors are designed to remain sealed in-flight, and such issues, while unnerving, typically pose no direct risk to safety.
A passenger, quoted via a social media post, said the door appeared to lose its seal due to air pressure. The flight, which departed Delhi at 11:45 pm—over an hour behind schedule—continued normally after the cabin crew’s intervention.
Air India responded with an official statement confirming that all pre-flight engineering checks had been conducted and that safety protocols were fully followed. “A hissing sound was traced to the decorative door panel. After assessing no risk to flight safety, crew took steps to dampen the noise. Post-landing inspections by engineering teams found all systems within safe operating parameters. The return flight, AI-315, reported no such issues,” the airline said.
Explaining the technical dynamics, an industry source noted, “As the aircraft climbs, the difference in cabin and external pressure grows significantly. If a door seal is even slightly misaligned or worn, pressurized air can escape through gaps, creating whistling or growling noises.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner features a plug-type door mechanism that differs from manually operated doors on older models like the Boeing 777 and 737. Dreamliner doors are electronically monitored and designed to pressurize by plugging into the fuselage, but minor sealing faults can sometimes lead to pressure-related noise.
Aviation expert Capt Amit Singh raised the key question of recurrence: “Was this a one-off issue or a symptom of deeper maintenance or operational inconsistencies? It could stem from how the door was closed or the condition of the seals.”
In previous cases, such as the 2019 Japan Airlines flight and a 2022 TUI Airlines incident, small gaps in door seals led to similar noises, prompting immediate returns to base, though none involved actual loss of cabin pressure or the deployment of oxygen masks.
A senior commander added, “Even in a worst-case scenario where multiple doors had minor leaks, pilots would receive adequate warnings and could descend to 10,000 feet per standard decompression protocols.”
While Air India’s quick response and safe landing underscore that passenger safety wasn’t compromised, the unsettling experience and growing list of similar global incidents point to a need for continued vigilance in aircraft maintenance and design reviews.
