A passenger was scalded by hot coffee and a staff member was catapulted to the aircraft ceiling after an Air New Zealand flight was struck by severe turbulence. The incident happened on June 16 when the Airbus A320 was flying from the capital, Wellington, to Queenstown, the Independent reported.

The passenger, identified as “Suze,” said that the flight had been up in the air for 15 minutes when the drink cart began making its way down the aisle. However, when the cart stopped next to her, the plane suddenly jolted with strong turbulence. As a result, one flight attendant flew up to the ceiling while the coffee pot lids came off and spilt hot coffee onto the passenger’s abdomen and back.

”There’s nothing you can do. You’re strapped in, you want to stay strapped in, there could be more turbulence and then you’ve got to deal with the level of burns you’ve just received. I was able to get hold of a bottle of cold water and start dousing myself and I was able to speak to the hostess who was still lying on the floor and said ‘Is it alright if I get water everywhere cos that’s what I’m going to be doing?’ and she said ‘go for it’,” the woman said. 

Luckily, a paramedic happened to be sitting right behind her and was able to help treat her.

The NZ Herald reported that the two were taken from the aircraft and escorted to the nearby Lake District Hospital in a “moderate” condition. After the terrifying incident, the passenger said she wanted Air New Zealand to reconsider serving hot drinks on short flights and improve the lids on their coffee pots.

Air NZ’s Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan said the company is reviewing its operating procedures to ensure the safety of its customers and crew members.

”The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and our crew are trained to respond to these situations. Our operating procedures outline our onboard response to different levels of turbulence, including detailing when passengers and crew are required to take their seats during the flight. From time to time, clear-air turbulence can occur where rough air is not visible to the flight crew,” Mr Morgan said.

”We’re always reviewing our operating procedures in line with both regulation and international best practice to ensure the safety of our customers and crew is prioritised,” he added.

Severe turbulence is caused by an erratic wind current occurring in cloudless regions of the sky at the cruising altitude of passenger jets.

 

Image for representation.
| Photo Credit: AP

Twelve people were injured during turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland that landed safely on May 26, Dublin airport authorities said.

The incident comes a week after a passenger died and dozens were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit severe turbulence and was diverted to Bangkok.

Six passengers and six crew members suffered injuries in the latest incident, when Qatar Airways flight QR017 endured turbulence over Turkey, Dublin airport said in a statement.

The flight landed as scheduled shortly before 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) on May 26, it added.

“Upon landing, the aircraft was met by emergency services, including airport police and our fire and rescue department, due to six passengers and six crew [12 total] on board reporting injuries after the aircraft experienced turbulence while airborne over Turkey.

“The Dublin Airport team continues to provide full assistance on the ground to passengers and airline staff,” the statement said.

A British man died and more than 100 people were injured when Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 endured extreme turbulence last Tuesday, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, where several people are still being treated in hospital.

Passengers and crew suffered skull, brain and spine injuries when they were thrown violently around the cabin during the terrifying high-altitude ordeal.

Singapore Airlines have since tightened their seatbelt rules.

Air safety experts say that passengers are often too casual about wearing seatbelts, leaving them at risk if the plane hits unexpected turbulence.

Scientists also warn that so-called clear air turbulence, which is invisible to radar, is getting worse because of climate change.

Washington:

Airplane turbulence, which led to the death of a passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday, is a complex phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common due to climate change, according to experts.

Storms, cold and warm fronts, and the movement of air around mountains can all cause turbulence in the air that planes fly through.

Turbulence can also occur in jet streams — highways of strong wind that circulate around the globe at certain latitudes.

“While meteorologists have excellent tools to forecast turbulence, they are not perfect,” said Thomas Guinn, professor in the aviation department at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.

He added that airplane passengers should make sure they are wearing seat belts, which makes injuries far less likely.

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Initial reports suggest the Singapore Airlines flight, in which more than 70 passengers were injured, may have hit clear-air turbulence, “which is the most dangerous type of turbulence,” according to the Association of Flight Attendants.

Clear-air turbulence is defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as “sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffeting of aircraft.”

It is “especially troublesome because it is often encountered unexpectedly and frequently without visual clues to warn pilots of the hazard,” the FAA says in a document on its website.

The agency says clear-air turbulence is typically found close to jet streams and associated with wind shear — sudden changes in the speed or direction of the wind.

Turbulence continues to be a major cause of accidents and injuries despite a steady improvement in aviation accident rates, according to a 2021 report by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

But deaths linked to turbulence on commercial flights are “very rare,” said Dr Paul Williams, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading. 

“As far as I am aware there has not been a turbulence fatality on a commercial flight since 2009,” Williams said in a statement shared with AFP.

Williams said that climate change is increasing the frequency of airplane turbulence.

“For clear-air turbulence, climate change is increasing the temperature difference across the jet stream between the cold poles and the warm tropics,” he said.

“The tropics are warming faster than the poles at flight cruising altitudes. This effect is increasing wind shear in the jet stream, which is generating more turbulence,” Williams said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Representatives of the British embassy visit the Samitivej Hospital where injured passengers and crew of Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 were transferred following an emergency landing, in Bangkok Thailand on May 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Singapore Airlines on May 22 said it is fully cooperating with relevant authorities in the investigation into the London to Singapore flight which encountered severe turbulence, leading to the death of one passenger and injuring 30 others.

Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old British passenger, died likely due to a heart attack on the flight, said Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, to where the SIA flight was on Tuesday diverted under emergency.

As many as 30 passengers have been receiving treatment for their injuries in hospitals in Bangkok after the Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on May 20 encountered “sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure”.

The remaining passengers aboard the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft carrying 229 people were examined and treated at the airport, the carrier said.

SIA is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in probing this incident, SIA Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said.

The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, three Indians, two from Canada, one from Germany, two Indonesians, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 Singaporeans, one South Korean, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the U.S.

The carrier confirmed that 131 passengers and 12 crew members, who arrived in Singapore via a relief flight on May 22, were received at Changi Airport by Mr. Goh.

Transportation to their homes or hotel accommodation has been arranged for passengers travelling to Singapore.

Another 79 passengers and six crew members, including those receiving medical care, as well as, their family members and loved ones who were on the flight, remain in Bangkok.

“For passengers with onward connections, we have rebooked them on alternative flights. We have also arranged hotel accommodation or lounge access for them to rest until their next flight,” Singapore’s flag carrier said.

“A dedicated SIA team from Singapore is in Bangkok to assist our colleagues and the local authorities. We are providing all possible support to the passengers and crew from SQ321 who remain in Bangkok,” said the airline.

“On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We also deeply apologise for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight,” Goh said.

“We are providing all possible assistance and support to them, along with their families and loved ones, during this difficult time. The well-being of our passengers and staff is our utmost priority,” he added.

U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing extended its condolences to the family of the British national who died aboard SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER.

“We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said on X.