Spanish passenger plane forced to make an emergency landing in Brazil
On the journey from Spain to Uruguay, an Air Europa aircraft encountered severe turbulence. Dozens of passengers were injured. As a result, the pilots decided on an unscheduled stop in Brazil.
After turbulence with several injured passengers, an Air Europa passenger plane landed in Brazil on a Monday. According to Air Europa's online service, the Boeing 787-9 type 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, this number is preliminary. "Initially," no injured person was reported to be in critical condition, most having only sustained minor injuries. The Foreign Ministry stated that some of the injured were taken to the hospital.
Turbulence is on the rise, experts say
According to the airport operator in the Brazilian metropolis, the aircraft landed there at 2:42 local time (4:42 CET). Air Europa stated that another plane from Madrid would take off to bring the passengers stranded in Natal to Montevideo.
In May, due to severe turbulence, a man died and over a hundred people were injured 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 - is 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 reportedly rose by more than 50%.
Following the turbulent incident, Air Europa arranged for an alternate plane from Madrid to transport the stranded passengers from Natal, Brazil, to their original destination in Montevideo, Uruguay. Despite the incident in Brazil, international air travel continues to be a common mode of transportation, with countries like Spain and Brazil being popular destinations.
