35 people were injured when an Air Canada flight hit 'severe' turbulence

David Slotnick

July 11, 2019 7:48 PM

JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images

An Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Sydney hit unexpected severe turbulence early Thursday morning, leaving 35 people on board injured.
The flight, AC33, diverted to Honolulu, Hawaii.
A representative for the airline described the injuries as "minor."
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An Air Canada flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Honolulu Wednesday night after it encountered severe turbulence that left about 25 people injured.

The flight, AC33, was traveling from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia, when it hit the unforecasted patch of rough air approximately 1,000 miles southwest of the Hawaii, according to Air Canada.

According to a representative from the airline, the turbulence was severe enough to cause 35 injuries. He characterized the injuries as "minor;" it was not immediately clear how many of the injured were passengers and crew members, nor whether any patients were treated or transported to area hospitals.

The flight landed safely at Honolulu's Daniel K Inouye International Airport at around 12:45 p.m. ET, or 6:45 a.m. Hawaiian time. A representative for the airport deferred comment to Air Canada.

It was not immediately clear whether the Air Canada 777-200 aircraft, which had 269 passengers and 15 crew members on board, sustained any damage. However, modern commercial aircraft are built and tested to withstand virtually any possible degree of inflight turbulence.

While turbulence is becoming more common as a result of climate change, severe turbulence and associate injuries are extremely rare. In 2017, there were 17 reported injuries caused by turbulence, according ot the Federal Aviation Administration .

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