An air ambulance crew attended after a TUI flight attendant fell from a plane – reports suggest the female crew member expected stairs to still be attached to the aircraft
An investigation is underway after a TUI flight attendant suffered a grim fall from a plane and had to be taken to hospital.
Emergency services were called to East Midlands Airport on December 16 following reports a flight attendant had fallen from a plane. The TUI team member is said to have expected the stairs to still have been attached to the aircraft as they opened the door while the plane was preparing to depart.
A witness said to Nottinghamshire Live that the flight attendant “opened the door, took a step out and the stairs that were supposed to be there were not there for whatever reason”. The witness said they heard that the flight attendant “fell to the tarmac” and that they heard they were “seriously injured”.
The incident is now being investigated by the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB), the body confirmed. A spokesperson said: “An accident which occurred at East Midlands Airport on Monday 16th December was notified to the AAIB.
“An investigation has been launched and inspectors have visited the airport to gather evidence and make enquiries to understand more about the circumstances.”
A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 4.31pm on 16 December to a medical emergency at East Midlands Airport. We sent a paramedic in a solo response car and an ambulance. The air ambulance was also in attendance. One patient was taken by ambulance to Queen’s Medical Centre.”
EMA’s operations director Simon Hinchley said: “As first medical responders on site, our fire crews attended an incident on Monday when a member of TUI cabin crew sustained injuries as an aircraft was preparing to depart. East Midlands Ambulance Service attended and took the injured crew member to hospital. We wish her a speedy recovery and will assist all parties with the investigation.”
The Star has approached TUI for comment.
Nottinghamshire Live reported that staircases are usually attached under the responsibility of ground handlers employed by the airline.
This month, TUI reported it has seen annual earnings jump by a third thanks to surging demand for holidays, but expects growth to slow and revealed cost-conscious travellers are choosing cheaper destinations. It expects further growth in the new financial year, this will be at a slower pace, with revenues set to rise by between 5% and 10% and underlying pre-tax earnings to increase by 7% to 10%.
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