Eight passengers have been taken to hospital after a flight from Doha to Dublin experienced turbulence.
Dublin airport said six passengers and six crew members had reported injuries during the incident on the flight while it was airborne over Turkey. The incident occurred five days after a British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens of people were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London encountered severe turbulence.
In a statement on the latest incident, Dublin airport said the Qatar Airways flight landed safely as scheduled shortly before 1pm on Sunday. Emergency services, including ambulances, were seen on the ground around the plane after it landed in the Irish capital.
In an updated statement at 3pm, Dublin airport said all passengers had been assessed for injury before disembarking the plane, and eight were taken to hospital. “Qatar Airways flight QR017 from Doha landed safely as scheduled at Dublin airport shortly before 13.00 on Sunday,” they said.
“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 Turkey.
“All passengers were assessed for injury prior to disembarking the aircraft. Eight passengers were subsequently taken to hospital.
“The return flight to Doha [flight QR018] is scheduled to operate as normal this afternoon, albeit with a delay. Flight operations at Dublin airport were unaffected and continue as normal this afternoon.”
One of the passengers on the flight, Paul Mocc, told the Irish broadcaster RTÉ that he saw people “hitting the roof” and food and drink going everywhere. He said he saw crew members limping around dressed in bandages afterwards, but he said they did a good job of continuing the flight service.
In a statement, Qatar Airways said that a “small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention”, adding: “The matter is now subject to an internal investigation.”
On Monday night, Geoffrey Kitchen, from Thornbury, Gloucestershire, died after his flight to Singapore saw a “dramatic drop” that launched those not wearing a seatbelt into the cabin ceiling.
The 73-year-old retired insurance professional and his wife were on their way to a holiday in Australia via Singapore. According to Thai authorities, he had a heart condition and probably suffered a heart attack.