key points
- At least 36 passengers have been injured after a Hawaiian Airlines flight experienced severe turbulence.
- The incident occurred approximately 30 minutes before the Honolulu-bound flight landed.
- Trapped passengers captured the chaos on video that showed unconscious passengers, belongings in disarray and oxygen masks dangling in the air.
Passengers documented the chaos on video, showing seated passengers and crew members bleeding or unconscious, belongings strewn about the cabin and oxygen masks dangling in the air.
“My mom wasn’t in a daze, so I turned to my right and I saw it was like … it hit the ceiling and it hit the floor.”
Upon landing, passengers received medical attention in the terminal and, if necessary, were treated in ambulances.
This mobile image photo composite, courtesy of passenger Jazmin Bitanga, shows the interior of a Hawaiian Airlines plane after it encountered severe turbulence. Source: AAP / Jazmin Bitanga / AP
There were strong thunderstorms in the area at the time of the turbulence, and Hawaiian Air Chief Operating Officer Jon Snook said the airline was familiar with the instability such weather conditions can bring.
Snook added that he was “grateful for the support” of the crew and emergency services who rushed to handle “a very difficult situation”.
The airline said it will carry out a thorough inspection of the Airbus A330 aircraft before returning it to service.
