12 injured as Qatar Airways flight hits turbulence

Dublin (Reuters): Nearly a week after a Singapore Airlines flight from Heathrow airport hit severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean leaving at least one British passenger dead and 20 others injured, six crew members and six passengers travelling on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland suffered injuries during a bout of turbulence on Sunday.

However, the flight (QR017), a Boeing 787 Dream­liner, landed shortly before 1pm, Dublin Airport said, adding that the plane landed safely and as scheduled.

“Upon landing, the aircraft was met by emergency services, including airport police and our fire and rescue department, due to six passengers and six crew [12 total] on board reporting injuries after the aircraft experienced turbulence while airborne over Turkiye,” the airport authorities explained in a statement.

Irish broadcaster RTE, citing passengers arriving at the airport, said the incident lasted less than 20 seconds and occurred during food service.

Qatar Airways said in a statement that a “small number” of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries during the flight and were receiving medical attention.

The airline did not directly comment on the turbulence, but said the matter is subject to an internal investigation. Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type, according to a 2021 study by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

From 2009 through 2018, the US agency found that turbulence accounted for more than a third of reported airline accidents and most resulted in one or more serious injuries, but no aircraft damage.