Breaking: Turbulence Injures 12 on Qatar Airways Flight to Dublin

A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9, flying from Doha to Dublin, encountered severe turbulence over Turkish airspace, resulting in injuries to six passengers and six crew members. The affected flight, QR017, landed safely at Dublin Airport at 12:55 PM, ahead of its scheduled time of 13:30 PM.

Emergency services, including Airport Police and the Fire and Rescue department, met the aircraft upon its arrival to assist the injured. Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at daa, the operator of Dublin Airport, confirmed that the turbulence occurred while the plane was over Turkey. He assured that the injuries are minor and that all affected individuals are receiving medical attention.

Qatar Airways emphasized that passenger safety is paramount and has initiated an internal investigation into the incident. The turbulence event saw the aircraft drop 275 feet at a rapid descent rate of 21,888 feet per minute, according to Flightradar24 data, though GPS jamming may affect data accuracy in this region.

This incident adds to recent turbulence-related concerns in the aviation industry. Earlier this week, a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence, resulting in one fatality and over 100 injuries, prompting a revision of the airline's seatbelt policies during turbulent conditions.

While turbulence is a routine aspect of air travel and serious injuries are rare, these back-to-back incidents have heightened awareness and may lead to renewed discussions on safety measures among airlines and aviation authorities.