Thirteen passengers hospitalized due to severe turbulence on flight to New Zealand

Ambulances were waiting for them on the asphalt. Thirteen passengers on a flight from Sydney, Australia, were hospitalized in Auckland, New Zealand, after their plane hit severe turbulence, New Zealand emergency services said Monday. In total, about fifty people were injured, “one of whom is in a serious condition,” said Gerard Campbell of Saint-Jean Ambulances.

The incident occurred on flight LA800 of the Chilean company LATAM Airlines. The plane was scheduled to stop in Auckland before flying to Santiago, Chile. The company said in a statement that the plane experienced a “technical issue that caused heavy movement” during the flight.

The flight attendant told the New Zealand Herald she felt a “small quick fall”. According to another passenger, the plane suddenly lost altitude and “several passengers and crew members were thrown onto the roof of the plane.” “The plane dived spectacularly for a few seconds and about 30 people hit the ceiling hard,” another passenger told the newspaper.

“Safety as a priority”

The plane landed at Auckland Airport “as planned” without any hiccups, the airline said. According to LATAM Airlines, three crew members were hospitalized among the injured. They were taken to Middlemore Hospital “for medical assessment”.

“We were notified at 3.58pm and responded with five ambulances, two operational managers, a major incident support team vehicle, a command unit and two rapid response vehicles,” New Zealander Hato Hawn St John said. Other ambulances were sent to help.

“LATAM regrets the inconvenience and harm this situation may have caused passengers and reiterates its commitment to ensuring safety as a priority within its operational standards,” the airline said in a statement. A new flight to Santiago is scheduled for Tuesday.

In early February, the same company’s A319 was forced to land in Sao Paulo when its main wheel came off while taking off from Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) in Rio de Janeiro.