Southwest flight turns back after cabin pressure issue leaves passenger bleeding from ears

The aircraft has since been removed from service

A Southwest aircraft had cabin pressurisation problems (Wikipedia/Eric Salard)

A Southwest flight in the US was aborted when at least one passenger started bleeding from the ears while others complained of pain and discomfort.

The flight from Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport to Tampa, Florida, on 1 February was forced to turn back after a cabin pressure issue caused travellers to feel unwell, reports the Hartford Courant.

The pilot requested to land back in Hartford, Connecticut, due to the pressurisation fault, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

About an hour after setting off, the Boeing 737 returned and landed at Bradley just after 9pm.

Medical staff were on hand to treat passengers, but no severe injuries were reported.

The aircraft has since been removed from service, according to Southwest.

The incident comes after The Independent reported that dozens of Ryanair passengers were left bleeding from the ears after a flight to Croatia plunged 37,000ft for an emergency landing in Germany.

Thirty-three people were treated in hospital following the “controlled descent” in July 2018, due to a loss of cabin pressure 80 minutes into the journey.

Oxygen masks were deployed while the plane dropped 27,000ft in around seven minutes, as flight FR7312 from Dublin to Zadar was diverted to Frankfurt Hahn airport.