Emergency crews rush to Dublin airport after turbulence on Qatar Airways flight leaves 12 people on board hurt – a week after British man, 73, died on Singapore Airlines jet
Emergency services have rushed to Dublin Airport after six passengers and six crew were injured on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha.
The twelve people were injured after the turbulence above Turkey.
Kevin Cullinane, deputy director of communications at Dublin Airport operator daa, said: ‘Qatar Airways flight QR017 from Doha landed safely at Dublin Airport shortly before 1pm on Sunday, as planned.
‘The aircraft was met on landing by emergency services, including Dublin Airport police, fire and rescue services, due to 6 passengers and 6 crew [12 total] onboard reported injuries after the plane experienced turbulence earlier in the flight while flying over Turkey.
‘The Dublin Airport team continues to provide full ground assistance to passengers and crew.’
Emergency services rushed to Dublin Airport after six passengers and six crew were injured on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha (file photo)
Dublin International Airport (pictured) where emergency services attended twelve people injured by turbulence on a flight from Doha to Dublin
A Qatar Airways spokesperson said: ‘Qatar Airways can confirm that flight QR017, a Boeing B787-9 from Doha to Dublin, landed safely. A small number of passengers and crew suffered minor injuries during the flight and are now receiving medical attention.
“The matter is now subject to an internal investigation. The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
It comes after a British man died on a Singapore Airlines flight following extreme turbulence on a journey between Heathrow and Singapore.
Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old musical theater director from Gloucestershire, died of a suspected heart attack, officials said.
More than 70 people were injured in the incident. Mr Kitchen’s wife, Linda, is said to be among those in hospital. She suffered serious spinal injuries.
The retired insurance worker and his wife were heading abroad for the six-week holiday of a lifetime to South East Asia, Indonesia and Australia when disaster struck around 11am after their flight from Heathrow.
The plane hit an air pocket and plummeted an astonishing 6,000 feet in just five minutes. The sudden fall caused chaos on board and forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, ran the Thornbury Musical Theater Group in Bristol
The 73-year-old died of a suspected heart attack, Thai officials said. His wife is probably in hospital
Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident today, with belongings scattered on the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above
Terrified passengers have described how they had little to no warning to fasten their seat belts before the plane suddenly crashed while the crew was serving breakfast, with one passenger saying people were “launched into the ceiling” as the plane fell through the sky.
Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, Thai authorities said 71 people were sent for treatment, six of whom were seriously injured, with many suffering cuts to the head as they were thrown upward.
Close friend Steve Dimond, 73, who lives a few doors down from Mr Kitchen’s three-bed home in leafy Thornbury, said: ‘You wouldn’t know it, he was acting normal and very fit and active.
‘He was very involved in amateur drama and helped me create sets for our new production.
‘He was a good singer, a fine actor, he was on the committee, he loved musical theatre.
“He and his wife love live music, all kinds of folk jazz, everything. He’s known his wife since they were teenagers, they’re a lovely couple.’
Qatar Airways ran into trouble in February last year when one of its Boeing Dreamliners ended up hitting the water within seconds of taking off from Hamad International Airport, the airline’s hub in Doha.
The 787-8, registration A7-BCO, departed Doha at 2 a.m. on January 10 (11 p.m. GMT, January 9), bound for Copenhagen.
But as it left the ground, the Dreamliner, with the first officer at the helm, climbed to about 1,800 feet — but then lost 1,000 feet in 24 seconds for unknown reasons, according to the AV Herald.
As the plane descended at a rate of 50 feet per second, the captain took over and pulled the plane about 800 feet (or 16 seconds) over the Persian Gulf, narrowly missing a crash into the sea.
The airline has launched an investigation into the incident.
This is a groundbreaking story, more to come