Thirty passengers were injured when an Air Europa flight from Madrid to Uruguay encountered severe turbulence and had to make an emergency landing in Brazil, the airline announced on Monday.
“Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo has been diverted to the Natal airport (in Brazil) due to strong turbulence,” Air Europa stated on X. “The plane has landed normally, and those who sustained different injuries are already being treated.”
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, capable of holding up to 339 passengers. According to passenger accounts, the turbulence caused those not wearing seat belts to be thrown against the ceiling, resulting in various injuries. Maximiliano, one of the passengers, described the incident: “From one moment to the next, the plane destabilised and went into a dive. The people who didn’t have seat belts went up in the air and hit the ceiling, and they got hurt – those who had seat belts on, not so much.”
Air Europa has arranged for another plane to depart from Madrid to transport the remaining passengers from Brazil to Uruguay. The airline confirmed that anyone needing healthcare received treatment at Natal International Airport.
This incident adds to the recent spate of negative publicity for Boeing. While the turbulence on the Air Europa flight is not linked to any known safety malfunction, Boeing has been under scrutiny following allegations from whistleblowers about safety issues in the manufacturing of its 787 Dreamliner planes.
Last week, a whistleblower alleged unsafe manufacturing practices, potentially leading to “devastating consequences,” echoing previous claims by Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour.
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