SINGAPORE: Seven people were injured when a Scoot flight from Singapore to the Chinese city of Guangzhou hit turbulence on Friday (Sept 6) morning. One person was taken to hospital.
In response to queries, Scoot said the flight encountered turbulence as it was approaching Guangzhou, adding that the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft landed uneventfully at 9.10am local time.
According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, flight TR100 departed Singapore at about 5.45am.
“We can confirm that four passengers and three crew members received medical assistance immediately upon arrival in Guangzhou. As at Sept 6, 8.30pm local time, one passenger was hospitalised for further observation,” said Scoot.
Scoot said that its priority is the welfare of its passengers and cabin crew and it will provide all necessary support and assistance required.
Scoot did not elaborate on the number of passengers and crew on board the flight.
Flight data from FlightRadar24 showed that the plane was flying at 35,000 feet at about 500 knots more than midway through its flight before it suddenly dropped 25 feet and slowed to 262 knots.
The data then showed the plane returning to its original altitude and speed.
Meanwhile on Sept 5, a Turkish Airlines flight departing Istanbul to Taipei encountered severe turbulence, British tabloid The Mirror reported.
Two out of 17 crew members and five of the 214 passengers on board were injured. Two were taken to hospital for treatment.
In a separate incident, a person was taken to the hospital after a United Airlines flight from Mexico was diverted to Memphis, Tennessee, because of severe turbulence on Aug 28, media outlet NBC News said.
It was originally bound for Chicago.
A BBC report in May cited a 2024 study that said that aircraft encounter moderate to “severe or greater” turbulence 68,000 times every year. - The Straits Times/ANN