Severe Turbulence Leaves 31 People Injured On Etihad Airways Flight To Jakarta


More than 31 passengers on board an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta were injured after the aircraft encountered severe turbulence a few minutes before it was supposed to land. According to ABC News, the Etihad Airways flight, an Airbus A330-200, was just 45 minutes away from landing at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport when it encountered severe turbulence.

In a statement, Etihad Airways, which is based out of UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi, confirmed that flight EY474 traveling from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta was hit by “severe and unexpected turbulence.”

The pilots were able to successfully steer the aircraft out of harm and landed safely on schedule. However, the turbulence left several passengers injured. According to reports, more than 31 people were injured following the mid-air turbulence. Among the injured was a flight crew member, but it is unclear if the crew member was a flight attendant. According to the airline, nine passengers were taken to a hospital in Jakarta for treatment while 22 others who suffered minor injuries were offered treatment at a clinic located inside the airport.

Several passengers spoke to a local news channel about their experience onboard the aircraft during the turbulence. They recalled that oxygen masks tumbled out of the overhead bins and that several bins were left open when the plane began to shake. One passenger said he was praying when the turbulence took him by surprise.

“It happened when I was performing pray,” passenger Nenden Nurhaini told the website. “The plane suddenly began to shake so fast.”

According to Haerul Anwar, a spokesman for the Jakarta airport, the nine people who were admitted to a local hospital were severely injured. Considering the seriousness of the incident, Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee inspected the plane and analyzed the circumstances that led to the incident.

A picture posted on Twitter by a passenger claimed to show the interiors of the aircraft a few minutes after the turbulence. The Inquisitr has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the photograph.

Several passengers on board the plane confirmed that that the overhead storage bins were severely damaged during the turbulence. Meanwhile, a separate statement issued by the spokesperson from the Indonesian Transportation Ministry, Hemi Pamuraharjo, stated that several passengers had suffered broken bones.

Airbus a340 turbulence
An Etihad Airways A330-200 – similar to the plane that faced severe turbulence before landing at Jakarta [Image via Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland – Etihad Airways Airbus A330-243; A6-EYK@MXP;09.07.2011/604ai, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons]

It remains unclear how many passengers were onboard the Etihad Airways flight. The turbulence has also led Etihad to cancel its return flight from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi. The airline said it is assisting its passengers scheduled on the return flight to provide them with alternate connections.

An excerpt from a statement issued by Etihad following the incident reads, “Flight EY475 from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi on 4 May has been canceled. Etihad Airways has sent a support team from its home base in Abu Dhabi, and is assisting passengers scheduled to travel on this flight, by re-booking them on alternate flights or providing hotel accommodation.”

Etihad Airways was founded in 2003 and along with Emirates and Qatar Airways has gone on to become one of the biggest carriers from the middle east. The airline is also known for its ultra-luxury services onboard its A380 aircraft — the world’s biggest passenger plane.

Meanwhile, people who wish to know more about the list of injured have been advised to contact Etihad Airways’ global contact center on +971 (0) 2 599 0000. You can also visit the official website of the airline, Etihad.com for more information.

[Image via Kentaro Iemoto from Tokyo, Japan – Etihad A330-200(A6-EYI), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons]

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