Air Europa turbulence leaves dozens injured on way to Uruguay

Some forty passengers were injured when an Air Europa flight hit severe turbulence on its way from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, the latest in a series of bumpy incidents that have rattled travelers. 

Flight UX045 was diverted to Natal Airport on Brazil’s eastern coast following the episode, the Spanish airline said on X. Passengers suffered “abrasions and minor traumas” and were taken for treatment in Natal, the health secretariat of Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte state told AFP.

A video posted to X from a person who said they were on the flight showed one passenger seemingly stuck above overhead bins, near the Boeing Co. 787-9 Dreamliner’s ceiling. Other images on the platform showed what purported to be a broken seat and ceiling panels on the jet. 

The incident comes after a Singapore Airlines Ltd. flight in May experienced extreme turbulence that left one passenger dead and others severely injured. A week later, 12 people were injured when a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin struck severe bumps. 

The spate of emergencies has worried some fliers, and raised concerns about whether climate change is making such events more common. Still, statistics show that air travel is still exceedingly safe, with deaths and injuries from turbulence rare. In 2023, there were no fatalities among 37 million commercial airline flights.