EasyJet flight to London makes emergency touchdown after turbulence injures crew
Passengers were left in shock as an easyJet plane “plummeted 200m.” The severe turbulence resulted in injuries to two cabin crew members just 20 minutes into the flight.
The aircraft, carrying 181 passengers, departed from Corfu around 12:44pm on Monday, heading for London Gatwick. However, shortly after take-off, the plane encountered turbulence while travelling at approximately 484 miles per hour.
It’s understood that two cabin crew members were in the process of preparing food when they were thrown against the aircraft’s walls, reports the Mirror.
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Their injuries were reportedly serious enough to prompt the pilot to divert the flight to Rome’s Fiumicino airport for medical attention.
(Image: Getty Images)
Passenger Becky Walters recounted her terrifying ordeal. “Fabulous holiday ended with a nightmare journey back from Corfu with terrible turbulence in which we plummeted 200m and two cabin crew were injured with broken leg resulting in emergency diversion to Rome for them to be taken to hospital and a 6 hour wait to be rescued by easyJet,” she detailed in a Facebook post.
“They sent out the big guns and shepherded us home with constant updates from captain who spoke to us all in the cabin before flying and kept us constantly updated during return also turbulent flight. A great PR rescue but they handled it really well in the end.”
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An easyJet spokesperson revealed the drama in the skies, stating: “The flight on August 19 experienced turbulence which unfortunately injured two cabin crew members. As a result, the captain decided to divert the flight to Rome, where the flight attendants received medical assistance.”
They added, “The safety and well-being of our customers and crew are easyJet’s top priority, and our pilots are trained to manage turbulence.”
Meanwhile, Italy’s air safety agency, ANSV, is on the case, launching a probe to figure out if the bumpy ride was down to ‘clear air turbulence’, a sneaky type of turbulence that comes without warning.
The Daily Star has contacted easyJet directly.
