Dozens injured on Air Europa Boeing 787 flight to Uruguay

Another severe case of turbulence was reported on a flight – this time on an Air Europa Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route from Spain to Uruguay. More than two dozen passengers were reportedly injured, and the plane was eventually diverted to Brazil due to the incident.

Several injured on Air Europa Boeing 787 flight

In the early hours of July 1, an Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, encountered severe turbulence, injuring at least 30 people on board. The aircraft was operating flight UX45, a scheduled flight from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) in Madrid to Carrasco International Airport (MVD) in Montevideo, but had to be diverted to Natal, Brazil. The airline issued a statement saying:

“Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo was diverted to Natal Airport (Brazil) due to severe turbulence. The aircraft landed normally and the reported minor injuries are already being treated.”

According to BBC, a local medical team told Brazilian media that at least 30 passengers of various nationalities required treatment and 10 of them were taken to hospital. Passengers reportedly hit their heads in the incident and suffered injuries ranging from skull fractures to facial cuts.

One of several in recent times

This is one of several turbulence-related incidents that have made headlines recently due to the severity of the situation and the injuries to passengers. One of these involved a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 on May 21 en route from London Heathrow to Singapore Changi Airport, when severe turbulence seriously injured many passengers and even killed one.

Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen | Shutterstock

According to preliminary findings, there was a rapid change in altitude and a rapid change in g-force. The plane was diverted to Bangkok, where dozens of passengers were taken to hospital, some with life-threatening injuries.

In the same month, a Turkish Airlines flight attendant was thrown to the ceiling and then suffered a serious fall to the floor, breaking her spine, when an Airbus A321 flight from Istanbul to Izmir encountered severe turbulence.

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There have been a number of such incidents in recent days.

In May, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 flight to Dublin was again met by emergency services at the airport after six passengers and six crew members were injured by turbulence. In June, an Air New Zealand Airbus A320 on a domestic flight from New Zealand’s capital Wellington to Queenstown was hit by turbulence about 15 minutes into the flight. Two people were injured in the incident.

Industry is aware of rising case numbers

Given the seriousness of the recent incidents, the aviation industry also appears to be monitoring the situation closely. Singapore Airlines changed its seatbelt policy following the incident. Passengers will not be served hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt sign is illuminated.

Qatar Airways’ European boss, Eric Odone, recently said that while the incidents were regrettable, there was improved technology to detect severe turbulence in most cases.

Photo: Airplane Photography | Shutterstock

Speaking at the recent IATA Annual General Meeting in Dubai, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said the industry would likely have to pay more attention to the movement of passengers on aircraft in the future and ensure that they are seated and buckled up.

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In-flight turbulence: A pilot’s perspective

An overview of the types and intensities of turbulence and how airlines avoid bumpy flights.

What do you think about the increase in severe turbulence in recent months? Leave a comment below.