Passengers Gripped with Fear as Air India Flight to Hong Kong Makes Strange Door Sound

• Passengers on a recent Air India Boeing 787 flight from Delhi to Hong Kong experienced an unsettling in-flight incident when a door began emitting alarming noises
• Cabin crew acted swiftly to reassure passengers, and the aircraft continued safely to its destination
• The occurrence has drawn renewed attention to a series of similar noise-related issues reported on Boeing 787s in recent years

Passengers on an Air India Boeing 787 flight from Delhi to Hong Kong encountered a moment of alarm on 21 June when one of the aircraft’s doors began emitting unsettling hissing and growling sounds mid-flight, according to a report from The Times of India (TOI).

The incident occurred roughly an hour after takeoff, triggering swift action from the flight attendants to reassure anxious passengers.

Boeing 787 door noise raises safety concerns

According to a social media account from a passenger, “The door started shaking and making noises. It seemed the door seal came off due to air pressure.”

Crew members quickly inserted paper napkins into a small gap at the top of the door to muffle the sound and manually applied pressure to reduce the noise. Despite the disruption, the aircraft, which departed late from Delhi at 11:45 PM, continued without further complications and arrived safely in Hong Kong.

Not an isolated incident for the Boeing 787

This latest occurrence was not the first time the Boeing 787 has faced similar issues. In 2019, a Japan Airlines flight experienced a comparable noise and returned to Tokyo. Further instances involving TUI Airlines and American Airlines were reported in 2022. In each case, growling door sounds prompted precautionary returns to the departure airport for safety evaluations.

The Boeing 787 series remains under heightened scrutiny, particularly after a separate fatal crash in Ahmedabad on 12 June, which claimed 275 lives. However, aviation experts emphasise that such mid-flight door noises typically present minimal safety risks, as aircraft doors are designed to remain sealed due to the pressure differential at cruising altitude.

Air India responds following passenger alarm

Air India confirmed the mid-air noise incident and stated that standard safety measures were observed. “After hearing the sound mid-flight, flight attendants took action after assessing that there was no safety risk,” the airline said. Post-arrival inspections by the engineering team in Hong Kong verified that the aircraft met all safety benchmarks. No similar issues were reported on the return flight to Delhi.

Understanding Boeing 787 door mechanisms and pressure leaks

Experts attribute the noises to minor leaks in the door seal. At cruise altitudes near 40,000 feet, the cabin is pressurised to the equivalent of 6,000 feet, and any small gap can lead to audible hissing as air escapes.

The Boeing 787’s doors, which are electronically sealed into the fuselage with a plug-type system, differ from the manually operated doors of other aircraft like the 777. Over time, factors such as wear or maintenance inaccuracies may cause slight misalignments.

Investigations find no critical safety defects

Previous investigations into similar incidents involving door noises on Boeing 787s revealed no cases of cabin decompression or serious threat.

American Airlines, in one instance, returned a Paris-bound flight in 2022 after fumes were suspected to originate from a door area. TUI Airlines also experienced noise issues linked to a faulty seal. Aviation specialists quoted by TOI note that while such leaks can occur due to worn or misaligned seals, they do not endanger flight safety.

Source: Legit.ng