Two Air India flights battle thunderstorm, passengers bruised

With two Air India flights suffering severe turbulence within a week due to bad weather back to back, concerns of panic, inconvenience and fear have been triggered among passengers.

On September 17, an Air India flight AI 467 with 174 passengers onboard from Delhi to Vijaywada suffered severe turbulence, resulting in alleged minor injuries for the cabin crew. Due to the injuries caused during turbulence, the cabin crew had to undergo a routine check up after landing at their destination airport. The aircraft in use — Airbus A320 — sustained no damage over the course of flight.

According to airline sources, this incident has not been reported to the management.

In a similar second incident on September 20 on Friday, Air India flight AI 048 from Delhi to Kochin via Trivandrum also suffered severe turbulence. Due to the uneven movement mid-flight, the cabin luggage fell on the aircraft floor. The 172 passengers on board have been reported to be safe.  

The incident took place when the flight was enroute Kochi from Trivandrum. After landing in Trivandrum, the aircraft A321 was then sent for a detailed check and was cleared for further operations.

Though pictures of minorly injured crew were being circulated on Twitter, Dhananjay Kumar- Air India spokesperson confirmed that turbulence suffered by the Delhi-Vijaywada flight will be investigated in the coming week.

"There have been no injuries to passengers or crew members in both the incidents. Pictures circulated on the social networking sites have to be checked for their authenticity. However, since it has been brought to the notice of the airline, investigations on Delhi-Vijaywada flight - that went unreported on the day of incident - will begin from Monday," Kumar said.