Qatar Airways Flight Hits Turbulence, 12 Injured

Twelve passengers onbard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland' Dubline were injured during a bout of turbulence, Dublin Airport said on Sunday, adding that the plane landed safely and as scheduled.

Flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, landed shortly before 1 p.m. Dublin time (1200 GMT), the airport said.

Dublin Airport Statement

"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," Dublin Airport said in a statement.

The incident took place five days after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore was forced to land in Bangkok due to severe turbulence, which killed a 73-year-old British man and left 20 others in intensive care. As the flight, which was heading to Singapore from London, experienced sudden severe turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin during the breakfast service, the pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane made an emergency landing at 3.45 pm.

Seat Belts Important

The United States National Transportation Safety Board's data from 2009 to 2018 showed that passengers injured in turbulence-related accidents were most often using, waiting for or walking to or from the toilet. The second-most common group was passengers who were seated but not belted up.

Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type, according to a 2021 study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board as reported by news agency Reuters.