Ryanair: Eyewitness reports emergency landing in Frankfurt-Hahn

Ryanair flight FR7312 from Dublin is expected to arrive at 23:15 in the Croatian coastal town of Zadar. However, due to a sudden pressure drop in the cabin, the plane had to make an emergency landing at the cheap airline from Frankfurt Hahn. During a controlled descent, the plane lost nearly 9,000 meters of altitude in about seven minutes. After the landing, 33 of the 189 passengers were hospitalized for bleeding from the ear, mouth and nose.

Minerva Galvañ Domenech a worker from the call center of Alicante, sitting at headquarters 8B. His Croatian friend was sitting in another part of the plane, he had to go to the hospital. In the interview, Galvañ Domenech accuses the airline of mismanagement of crisis

SPIEGEL ONLINE : Mrs. Galvañ Domenech, how are you?

Galvañ Domenech : Well, thank you very much. I am still shocked by the emergency landing. I am exhausted and tired. Many passengers, including me, had to spend the night at the airport.

SPIEGEL ONLINE : Do you like to describe how you experienced the emergency landing?

Galvañ Domenech : There was a strange noise on the flight. Almost at the same time, I had a severe pain in the ear. The machine lost altitude very quickly. He stank of gas. There was a sharp, metallic taste in my mouth. Then the oxygen masks fell. An announcement broke out of the speaker. "Emergency landing."

SPIEGEL ONLINE : What was going through your head right now?

Galvañ Domenech : I thought: Please, it must not be the last day of my life. I was shaking uncontrollably. I would shake hands with a stranger next to me. Then I looked out the window. I've tried to recognize where we are. But I did not see anything. Only paradise. I thought: do not let us go over the sea.

] SPIEGEL ONLINE : How did the other passengers react? 19659003] Galvañ Domenech : The woman next to me looked me wide-eyed. At the same time, she cried. I think she was in shock. It was very quiet around us. I think even babies did not cry

SPIEGEL ONLINE : What happened next?

Galvañ Domenech : At one point I saw lights in front of the window. I knew now: we are not above the sea. It has calmed me a little. A little later, the strong descent stopped. There was still oxygen in the cabin. I was relieved

SPIEGEL ONLINE : The landing was normal?

Galvañ Domenech : Yes. But we were still very upset. We wanted to know the crew what happened. But we did not get an answer. The Stewarts simply said, "We do not know yet what happened."

SPIEGEL ONLINE : Could you get off right after the landing?

Galvañ Domenech : No. We still had to wait well for three quarters of an hour until the doors opened. Some passengers cried, others were shocked, others got angry. Bleeding from the ears, mouth or nose

SPIEGEL ONLINE : How did you look after yourself?

Galvañ Domenech : Anyone who was bleeding or had a headache was rushed to the hospital with the ambulance, including my partner. Some families with children were housed in a nearby military base. However, most of the passengers had to spend the night at the airport.

Ryanair stated, at the request of SPIEGEL ONLINE, that there had been a "shortage of available accommodation"; As a result, you could not accommodate passengers in hotels. Why we did not bring them to the nearest cities, said a spokesman. By car, it takes about 70 kilometers to Koblenz or Trier and about 125 kilometers to Frankfurt am Main.

SPIEGEL ONLINE : Were passengers in a state of shock psychologically treated?

Galvañ Domenech : No. Neither the staff of the airport nor Ryanair. The only thing I've had, it's a standard mail that clarified my passenger rights

SPIEGEL ONLINE : And your partner, who had to go to the hospital? How did Ryanair take care of him?

Galvañ Domenech : My partner has not been contacted by Ryanair. He finally paid his hospital bill himself, 68 euros. Then he took a taxi back to the airport, also at his expense. This can certainly happen, but I think it's outrageous anyway. We feel left alone. This is not the way to treat people.

Ryanair said that he sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience. The press office did not respond to the specific allegations of Galvañ Domenech.

SPIEGEL ONLINE : What is the next step for you?

Galvañ Domenech : We were told that in the afternoon a bus was leaving for Zadar. It was organized for passengers, who are not supposed to fly because of the bleeding. My friend and I are going to take this bus. My friend is Croatian. He wants to be examined in his country of origin by a doctor.