Air Europa 787 hits turbulence, injuring 40

An Air Europa flight travelling from Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD/LEMD) to Montevideo-Carrasco Airport (MVD/SUMU) was diverted to Natal, Brazil (NAT/SBSG), early Monday, (the 1st of July) after severe turbulence injured up to 40 passengers. 

Flight UX45, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, was cruising at 36,000 feet when it encountered turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean near the Brazilian coast. In total, 40 people were injured, and several overhead panels in the passenger cabin fell due to the intense shaking. The crew diverted the aircraft to Natal, the nearest suitable airport.

A passenger posted on social media pictures of broken ceiling panels, with pipes and wires exposed, broken seat backs and blood stains everywhere.

The passengers, mostly with injuries, were taken to hospitals in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte state after the plane was diverted. Some passengers suffered fractures and others hit their heads during the turbulence. At least four of them were still in hospital Tuesday morning.

The Dreamliner left Madrid at 11.57pm on Sunday carrying 325 people and was scheduled to arrive in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo early on Monday.

At 2.32am, Flight UX045 requested an emergency landing at Natal airport in north-eastern Brazil – 4,000km from Montevideo – according to its operator, Zurich Airport Brazil.

Scientists say that clear air turbulence, which is invisible to radar, is getting worse because of the climate crisis. Research by Reading University has shown that higher temperatures resulting from the climate crisis were leading to significant increases in turbulence across transatlantic flights. Incidents of severe turbulence increased by 55% between 1979 and 2020, they found, owing to changes in wind velocity at high altitudes.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Air Europa

Code: UX/AEA

Aircraft: Boeing 787-9

Registration: EC-MTI

Serial Number: 62169

Engines: Rolls Royce Corporation Trent 1000-D3

First Flew: March 2018

Age: 6.4 Years