Photograph: Aeroinside. 

This aircraft, a Joon (Air France low cost carrier) Airbus A340 was enroute to Mumbai from Paris CDG on Tuesday 4th December when the flight crew donned their oxygen masks, declared an emergency and diverted to Kuwait. It was reported that there was ‘a lot of smoke in the cabin’. Emergency services met the aircraft and examined the exterior whist it was still on the runway. The flight crew reported that ‘the smoke had dissipated, temperatures onboard were okay, and they were ready to taxi’.

Read the full article at Aviation Herald:
http://avherald.com/h?article=4c12dc45&opt=0

There were 237 people on this aircraft, most of whom would have no idea what had happened onboard or what caused the smoke in the cabin - because it’s very doubtful that the airline (Joon/Air France) gave them any information.

Not all fume events include smoke in the cockpit or cabin. Sometimes it can just be a light haze or mist or the smell of the fumes alone. The smells are sometimes described as ‘cheesy feet, wet dog, dirty socks, a sweet chemical smell’ amongst others. 

On Monday 3rd December a Jetblue Airlines Airbus A320 was enroute from Orlando to Newark NJ ‘when the flight crew declared they had a medical emergency onboard’. Passengers reported that they were told that the reason for the return to Orlando was due to a fellow passenger suffering a medical emergency.
‘A listener on the frequency reported the crew requested to return to Orlando, a few minutes later the crew advised they had a Fume Event onboard, three cabin crew were complaining about headaches, a 7 year old kid was vomiting’.
Why were the passengers deliberately given incorrect information by this airline? Is this the way Airlines now deal with the issue of Fume Events?, - pretend they don’t happen and make up other reasons for the diversions and returns to airports? 
If the ‘listener’ hadn’t been on the frequency this would be another fume event that did not happen!

Read the full article at Aviation Herald:

http://avherald.com/h?article=4c12e0f0&opt=0

It’s very difficult to get information on these occurrences because so many of these events go unreported - either by flight crew to their airline or by the airline to their regulator. To withhold the true nature of an emergency is a whole new ball game. How can Airlines declare that safety is their number one priority when their crews are indirectly being told to keep quiet about this issue? How is that being safety conscious? If safety was a priority then they would be 1. maintaining their aircraft better and 2. installing sensors and filters to keep the toxic chemicals out of their cockpits and cabins.

Every time we receive reports of Fume Events we feel angry and upset because we know what can happen when people are exposed to these chemicals from aircraft oil. It is very dangerous and can cause so many problems to human health. There have been too many injuries and deaths related to contaminated cabin air onboard aircraft - it has to stop.

If you have been involved in a Fume Event you can report it to us here:
http://fumes.dallasmcintosh.co.uk

For further information, help and advice visit:
http://aerotoxic.org