Passengers hospitalised after 'severe' turbulence on Hawaii flight

Anybody who’s got a flight knows that heart-in-mouth feeling when suddenly the plane is hit by a particularly bumpy bit of turbulence. But it’s never actually anything to worry about, right?

Passengers heading to Sydney from Honolulu might not agree, after three people were hospitalised after a flight was buffeted by strong winds around the Australian city on Friday.

The Airbus A330 had 163 passengers and 12 crew aboard, and encountered “unexpected severe turbulence" about five hours into its flight.

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Four passengers and three flight attendants were treated by a doctor on board in consultation with physicians on the ground after the rocky ride caused them minor injuries.

Fortunately, the plane landed “without incident” Sydney airport at about 7.45pm on Friday evening. First responders assessed 12 patients at the scene, a New South Wales ambulance spokesperson said.

“Our immediate priority is to continue to care for our passengers and crew affected by this turbulence event, and we thank Sydney airport first responders for their swift assistance,” an Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson said.

Hawaiian Airlines “conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft” before the return flight departed for Honolulu later on Friday night.

It comes as strong winds in Sydney have caused travel chaos around the city, with more than 100 flights cancelled on Friday as the airport was forced to use just one runway.

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