An Air Europa flight traveling from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, had to be rerouted to a Brazilian airport on Monday (Juny 1) due to severe turbulence, resulting in minor injuries for 30 passengers, according to local health authorities.
Flight UX045 made an emergency landing at Natal Airport in northeastern Brazil at 2:32 a.m. local time, as confirmed by Zurich Airport Brasil, the local airport operator. The flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, as indicated by data from FlightRadar24.
In a statement on social media, Air Europa said that “our flight to Montevideo was diverted to Natal due to strong turbulence. The aircraft landed safely, and those injured to varying degrees are already receiving medical treatment.”
30 passengers hospitalised
The health secretariat of Rio Grande do Norte state, where Natal is situated, reported that 30 passengers were taken to hospitals in Natal for treatment of minor abrasions or orthopedic injuries.
Air Europa further stated that a second aircraft was set to depart from Madrid later on Monday to transport the passengers to Uruguay and continue their journey.
Severe turbulence cases on rise
Earlier in the end of May, a Singapore Airlines jetliner encountered severe turbulence that subjected passengers to rapid and extreme gravitational forces in a span of less than five seconds, potentially causing injuries to those not securely fastened in their seats, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by Singapore’s Transport Ministry.
The report stated that the aircraft experienced a sudden drop of 178 feet (54 meters) in less than one second, leading to passengers who were not wearing seat belts to be “likely become airborne” before returning to their seats, as stated by the Transport Ministry.
In a separate incident last week, a Korean Air flight had to divert due to a serious problem on Saturday after a sudden drop of 26,900 feet caused 17 passengers to be taken to hospital.