Eleven passengers were reportedly injured when an Emirates Boeing 777 encountered turbulence near Singapore. The aircraft was en route from Dubai in the UAE to Denpasar in Indonesia on the 1st of October when the incident occurred.
Turbulence isn't anybody's friend. The sudden changes in the movement of air can cause anything from a slight bump to trashing a cabin. Thankfully, in the grand scheme of things, serious turbulence occurrences are quite rare. However, because of this, they often don't go unnoticed, such as the Emirates incident on Tuesday. Let's take a look at what happened.
The flight
Tuesday's turbulence incident affected an Emirates Boeing 777. The aircraft registered as A6-EBU was operating Emirates flight EK450. The aircraft was scheduled to depart from Dubai at 01:50 in the morning. However, the aircraft did not commence it's flight until 02:15, meaning a 25-minute delay departing from Dubai Airport.
The flight climbed to 33,000ft initially, before then climbing to 35,000 feet at around 6 hours and 35 minutes into the flight, the aircraft encountered turbulence. The turbulence was severe enough that it was picked up by flight tracking software FlightRadar24.com. While the Aviation Herald reported an altitude deviation of 100ft, FR24 noticed 75 feet of deviation.
According to the Aviation Herald, 11 people sustained injuries during the turbulence event. The aircraft continued on to its intended destination of Denpasar in Indonesia. Here those who had been injured were offered medical assistance at the airport's medical centre. Some were also transferred to the local hospital.
Emirates' Statement
Simple Flying contacted an Emirates spokesperson regarding Tuesday's unfortunate incident. They told us:
“Emirates flight EK450 from Dubai to Denpasar on 1 October encountered unexpected strong turbulence during the flight. Some passengers and a crew member sustained injuries and, upon arrival in Bali, they received first aid treatment at the Airport Medical Centre while those requiring further treatment were transferred to the hospital. We are providing the necessary support to the affected passengers and crew. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised.”
Follow up
The flight in question typically continues onwards to Aukland. However, due to the incident, the aircraft underwent checks in Denpasar. Instead, a replacement aircraft flew out to Denpasar to continue the flight on to Auckland. The aircraft remained in Denpasar for around 29 hours before departing back to Dubai. It arrived back in Dubai with a delay of around 24 hours.
Were you on board flight EK450 to Denpasar on Tuesday? Let us know your experience in the comments section.