Ten people have been injured following severe turbulence on a Cathay Pacific flight from Australia to Hong Kong.
Cathay flight CX156 from Brisbane to Hong Kong suddenly dropped just two hours before its scheduled arrival on Sunday.
The Airbus A350-900 was carrying up to 240 passengers when it encountered turbulence near the end of its overnight journey from Brisbane.
Medical response teams met the aircraft on the runway after the flight landed in Hong Kong.
According to the airline, six cabin crew and four passengers reported minor injuries, with eight sent to hospital for further medical care.
A passenger told the South China Morning Post that people screamed as it felt like they were “free-falling from a drop tower”.
Another added to ABC News that he “thought the plane was going down” when turbulence struck shortly after cabin crew had begun the breakfast service.
He said the plane plunged twice in quick succession due to “some sort of thunder or lightning cell” that had not been seen on the radar due to the dark conditions.
The Federal Aviation Administration defines clear-air turbulence (CAT) as “sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffeting of aircraft … CAT is especially troublesome because it is often encountered unexpectedly and frequently without visual clues to warn pilots of the hazard”.
Images of the aftermath shared on social media show the Cathay cabin strewn with meal trays, food containers and loose equipment.
The flight landed safely at Hong Kong International airport at around 6.45am, following the almost nine-hour flight.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “Medical personnel boarded the aircraft to assess the conditions of a small number of passengers and crew who reported feeling unwell, and they were provided with the utmost level of care. Almost all of them have since been discharged. We will continue to follow up and provide the necessary assistance.”
Cathay Pacific added: “The safety of our customers and crew guides every decision we make.”
Read more: What is flight turbulence and can it cause a plane to crash?
