NEW DELHI: Some passengers and crew members onboard Air India’s Phuket-Delhi flight (AI 2379) suffered injuries when the aircraft encountered turbulence Tuesday morning, causing a sudden drop in altitude by 300 feet. An AI with medical support received the 134 passengers onboard the Airbus A320 on arrival just after 11 am. Over 10 passengers and two crew members are learnt to have been taken to the Medanta medical centre at the airport. Subsequently, 14 injured – 10 passengers and four crew members – were shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram and India Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj.An AI spokesperson said the aircraft “experienced a brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude. The aircraft landed safely in Delhi and all passengers and crew have safely disembarked. There have been no serious injuries reported as of now. A small number of passengers and crew members with minor injuries requiring medical assessment have been taken to a medical facility at the airport for precautionary examination and care by Air India’s airport team and medical personnel.
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”The A320 had taken off from Phuket at 8.27 am and landed in Delhi just after 11 am (all timings local). “The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain Air India’s highest priority. We are providing all necessary support to those affected and are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities as part of the investigation,” the spokesperson added.Aircraft frequently experience clear air turbulence (CAT), which International Civil Aviation Organisation defines as turbulence generated in clear air, in regions without clouds that is invisible to the pilot and by the US Federal Aviation Administration as sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffeting of aircraft. Due to this possibility, it is advisable to have seatbelt loosely on during flight.
