Twelve individuals, including six crew members, sustained injuries when a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin encountered severe turbulence. This incident occurred just five days after turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight led to a fatality and multiple injuries.
Details of the incident
Dublin Airport confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that Qatar Airways flight QR017 experienced turbulence while flying over Turkey. “Qatar 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 [12 total] on board reporting injuries after the aircraft experienced turbulence while airborne over Turkey,” the airport’s statement read.
The airport authorities are providing full assistance to the affected passengers and airline staff on the ground.
Recent Singapore Airlines turbulence incident
This incident follows a severe turbulence episode on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, which resulted in the death of a 73-year-old British man and left 20 others with serious injuries. The flight, carrying 211 passengers, had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. The violent turbulence caused skull, brain, and spine injuries among passengers and crew.
Visual evidence from inside the plane depicted chaos, with food and luggage scattered and oxygen masks deployed.
Safety measures and investigation
In response to the turbulence, Singapore Airlines has tightened its seatbelt regulations and adopted a more cautious approach to turbulence. Singapore’s transport minister reported that investigators are examining the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. Flight data revealed that the Boeing 777-300ER dropped 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) within minutes, giving passengers little time to secure their seatbelts.
A 2021 study by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicated that turbulence-related incidents are the most frequent type of airline accidents. The study found that from 2009 to 2018, over a third of reported airline accidents involved turbulence, most resulting in serious injuries but no aircraft damage. Experts stress the importance of passengers consistently wearing seatbelts to mitigate risks during unexpected turbulence.