Six passengers and six crew members were injured after a Qatar Airways flight hit turbulence over Turkey. Source: Thomas Naas, Flickr.
Twelve people have sustained injuries — six passengers and six crew members — after a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin was hit by turbulence while airborne over Turkey on Sunday.
Flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which landed safely in Dublin as scheduled before 1 pm local time, was met by emergency services, including Airport Police and the Fire and Rescue department.
“All passengers were assessed for injury prior to disembarking the aircraft. Eight passengers were subsequently taken to hospital,” Dublin Airport said in a statement.
Qatar Airways said in a statement that a “small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention”.
“The matter is now subject to an internal investigation,” the statement continued. “The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
15.00 update:⁰⁰Qatar Airways flight QR017 from Doha landed safely as scheduled at Dublin Airport shortly before 13.00 on Sunday. Upon landing, the aircraft was met by emergency services, including Airport Police and our Fire and Rescue department, due to 6 passengers and 6 crew… pic.twitter.com/6rZjQg5vOb
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) May 26, 2024
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that the turbulence occurred during meal service, lasting less than 20 seconds.
A passenger on the flight said that food and drinks were flying everywhere, with “people hitting the roof”.
This incident follows a series of other more serious turbulence-related incidents around the world, including in Singapore and Iran.
On Tuesday 21 May, a Singapore flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence, forcing an emergency stop in Bangkok, injuring 104 passengers and killing a 73-old-year old British man.
Iran’s president also recently died last Monday after being killed in a helicopter crash due to poor weather conditions.
Turbulence-related accidents are the most common, resulting in serious injuries but no aircraft damage, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Experts warned that turbulence is rising due to climate change, specifically elevated carbon dioxide emissions that could lead to higher wind currents.
