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An airliner might fly at 36,000 feet above sea level, which is a mile higher than the summit of Mount Everest. The air is so thin at this altitude that you'd pass out in 20-30 seconds from a lack of oxygen if the airplane were not pressurized. The only way to get around that is to either make passengers wear oxygen masks or pressurize the airplane so that the air is about as thick as it is on the ground. Most people aren't keen on wearing oxygen masks, so pressurization is the usual choice today.
When up in the altitude, atmospheric pressure goes down. In order to breathe in that altitude the cabin has to pressurized.

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10y ago

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