Nine passengers were taken to hospital and 22 others injured after a Etihad Airways flight was hit by “sudden and unexpected” turbulence as it prepared to land in Indonesia.
The incident, involving a flight from Abu Dhabi, took place about 45 minutes before the aircraft was due to land in Jakarta.
The Airbus A330-200 landed safely at Soekarno Hatta international airport, however nine passengers and a crew member were taken to a local hospital for serious injuries.
Paramedics treated the other 22 injured passengers at the airport clinic, and according to the airline, all were later released, The Independent reported.
Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive, James Hogan, said: “Our pilots and cabin crew are to be commended for the calm and professional manner in which they dealt with this exceptional event, and the care they showed the passengers, despite several being injured themselves.
“It is testament to the high standard of our crew training that the effects of the turbulence were minimised. At no time was the safety of the aircraft, passengers or crew compromised.”
A statement from the airline said only that the aircraft had “encountered severe and unexpected clear air turbulence,” which is the most common type of turbulence.
However, a video taken by a passenger showed visibly distressed passengers – some crying and praying – while the aircraft shook, oxygen masks fell out of their compartments and ceiling tiles were dislodged, the newspaper reported.
Indonesian transportation ministry spokesman, Hemi Pamuraharjo, said several of the people onboard had suffered broken bones in the incident.