Several passengers injured in heavy turbulence scare during alarming flight

IndiGo: Passengers scream as plane hits severe turbulence

Air passengers have reportedly been injured after an aircraft ran into severe turbulence. Flight AI-302 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, heading for Sydney, Australia on Tuesday afternoon. The Boeing B787-800 aircraft hit heavy turbulence during the flight, which caused seven passengers to receive minor injuries.

According to The Times of India, the stricken passengers were seen to by cabin crew, as well as a doctor and nurse on-board the flight.

The plane landed at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning, where additional medical assistance was given to the injured flyers.

In total three passengers received treatment at the airport, but nobody was hospitalised.

According to NDTV, a Delhi-based Indian media company, a spokesperson for the airline said: “Air India’s flight AI302 of 16th May 2023, operating from Delhi to Sydney encountered turbulence mid-air leading to discomfort to the passengers on board. 

“The flight landed safely in Sydney and three passengers availed of medical assistance on arrival, none of whom required hospitalisation. This onboard incident has been reported to the relevant authorities as a standard practice.”

Despite the alarming scare on the Air India flight, turbulence-related injuries are few and far between.

According to the US Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA), from 2009 to 2021, there were 30 passengers and 116 crew members seriously injured because of turbulence. Bear in mind the millions of flights that take off and land every year, the number of injuries is very low.

The FAA categorises serious injuries as those that require more than 48 hours in hospital.

The majority of those seriously injured on flights, according to a 2021 US National Transportation Safety Board report, were not wearing seatbelts, perhaps because they were using the toilet or walking through the aisle.

National Geographic define turbulence as: “Chaotic and capricious eddies of air, disturbed from a calmer state by various forces.”

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