A passenger was hospitalized and several other were injured after a flight hit severe turbulence.
Several passengers on a transatlantic United Airlines flight were injured due to severe turbulence before the flight landed in Ireland. One of the passengers was injured so severely that they were hospitalized after the plane landed but the passenger has since been released. Seven other passengers sustained minor injuries during the incident on Sunday, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
United Airlines is investigating the incident.
There were 129 passengers and eight crew members on the United Airlines Boeing 757 which was flying from New York to Dublin. It ran into severe turbulence during its descent towards Ireland.
A United Airlines spokeswoman said the seatbelt sign was on during the period of severe turbulence on flight UA23.
Despite the severe turbulence, the aircraft was able to land safely at Dublin Airport. The plane was greeted by emergency fire crews and ambulance paramedics who scrambled to the runway.
"One customer was taken to hospital to receive medical attention and has since been discharged," the spokeswoman told the Telegraph. "Seven other customers sustained minor injuries and were released by medical services."
"Our customer service team in Dublin is supporting our customers," the spokeswoman added. "Safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority, and we are conducting a review into what happened."
A Dublin Airport Authority spokeswoman confirmed that confirmed emergency services were put on standby and that the plane landed safely. There were no issues with the plane on the runway.
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