One of the 30 passengers who suffered ear and nasal bleeding in a Jet Airways flight has been diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss.
Mukesh Sharma, a PhD researcher from University of Aveiro, Portugal, took the Mumbai-Jaipur Jet Airways flight on September 20. The Boeing 9W 697 which carried 166 passengers on board and out of which, 30 suffered nasal, ear bleeding as the cabin crew forgot to maintain the cabin pressure.
On November 12, Sharma underwent an audiometry test which revealed that he is suffering from ‘moderately severe mixed hearing loss’. It means there's damage in both outer or middle ear and the inner ear. The test's report is similar to that of the test done on the day of the incident. According to the Mumbai Mirror's report, Sharma can now only hear half of what he could earlier.
The incident had already caused much damage to him as he had to quit his job as a professor, post the trauma. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sharma said, "There were a number of soft sounds I wasn’t able to detect and unless a person is standing face-to-face with me and speaking, I am not able to listen to the words. While speaking on phone, I use my left ear as the right one is most affected.”
He claimed that he will require Rs 5-6 lakh to undergo a surgery to repair the damage. The 31-year-old has decided to approach Jaipur's consumer court in the upcoming week to seek compensation from the airline. He has already spent over Rs 15,000 for his medical treatment and travel expenses.
Jet Airways is yet to respond to his claims.
At least 30 passengers of the Mumbai-Jaipur Jet Airways flight suffered nasal, ear bleeding and headache on September 20 due to the negligence of the cabin crew who forgot to maintain the cabin pressure. The injured passengers are yet to receive the compensation as the probe is still underway.