An Air Europa Boeing was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday in Natal, Brazil, after “severe turbulence” which left at least seven injured, the Spanish airline announced.
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The plane, a 787-9 Dreamliner carrying 325 passengers, left Madrid on Sunday for Montevideo.
But “due to the extent of the turbulence, for greater safety”, the plane had to be diverted to Natal, in the northeast of Brazil, where it “landed normally” on Monday, Air Europa explained in a statement.
The landing took place at 2:42 a.m. local time (5:42 a.m. GMT), Zurich Airport Brasil, the company that manages Natal’s international airport, said in a statement sent to AFP.
The airline reported “seven people injured of various kinds, as well as an as yet undetermined number (of passengers) who suffered minor bruises.”
Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry explained that “passengers who needed medical attention were transferred to the Monsenhor Walfredo Gurgel Hospital in Natal.”
According to preliminary information from Uruguayan diplomatic services, to which AFP had access, at least 27 people who were on board the plane received treatment in hospital.
They suffered multiple trauma, explained a Uruguayan diplomatic source, who was unable to specify whether there were any serious injuries.
Another diplomatic source from the same country affirmed that “a priori, the life of none of them is in danger,” and that some have already been released from the hospital.
Brazilian authorities did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for information.
Saving belt
Air Europa said the plane would remain in Natal for an “overhaul to determine the extent of the damage.”
Another plane is to be sent “in the next few hours” to allow passengers to continue their journey to Montevideo.
One of the passengers, Mariela Jodal, published a photo on the social network X showing that elements of the cabin ceiling had come loose. Large yellow tubes from the internal part of the device were visible.
She said she was not injured “thanks to the seat belt.”
In May, a 73-year-old British man died and several other passengers and crew were seriously injured in severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight aboard a Boeing 777.
Climate change is causing more turbulence in flights, scientists say.
According to a study carried out in 2023, the annual duration of turbulence increased by 17% between 1979 and 2020 and severe turbulence, which is rarer, by more than 50%.
