Brazil: Plane forced to make an emergency landing after turbulence with several casualties
After turbulence causing multiple injuries, a passenger plane en route from Spain to Uruguay made an emergency landing in Brazil. According to Spanish airline Air Europa's online service, the Boeing 787-9 aircraft landed at the airport of the northeastern Brazilian city of Natal due to "severe turbulence."
Between 25 and 30 people were reportedly injured in the incident, according to the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry. However, the number is preliminary. "Initially," none of the injured were in critical condition, most having only sustained minor injuries. The Foreign Ministry stated that some of the injured were taken to the hospital.
The airport operator in the Brazilian metropolis announced that the plane landed there at 02:42 local time (04:42 CET). According to Air Europa, another plane from Madrid is scheduled to take off to bring the passengers stranded in Natal to Montevideo.
In May, a man died and over a hundred people were injured due to severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore. At that time, a Boeing plane was also affected.
Turbulence - and in particular clear-air turbulence, which the onboard radar does not detect - are expected to become more frequent according to experts due to climate change. According to a study from 2023, the average duration of turbulence increased by 16% from 1979 to 2020. The number of severe turbulence incidents allegedly rose by more than 50%.
The turbulence that resulted in injuries occurred between Spain and Uruguay, affecting the Air Europa Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Despite initial reports indicating that none of the injured were in critical condition, some of the injured passengers were subsequently taken to a hospital in Natal, Brazil. The emergency landing of the airplane in Natal marked the second time in recent years that a Boeing plane was involved in a severe turbulence incident, resulting in injuries.
