The incident happened on June 16, when the Airbus A320 was flying from Wellington to Queenstown.
A passenger was scalded by hot coffee and a staff member was catapulted to the roof of the aircraft after an Air New Zealand flight was hit by severe turbulence. The incident happened on June 16, when the Airbus A320 was flying from the capital, Wellington, to Queenstown, Independent reported.
The passenger, identified as “Suze”, said the flight had already been in the air for 15 minutes when the drinks cart started moving down the aisle. However, when the cart stopped next to her, the plane suddenly shook with strong turbulence. As a result, a flight attendant flew to the ceiling as the lids of the coffee maker came loose and spilled hot coffee onto the passenger’s abdomen and back.
”There’s nothing you can do. You’re strapped in, you want to be strapped in, there could be more turbulence and then you have to deal with the level of burns you just received. I managed to get a bottle of cold water and started to get wet and managed to talk to the receptionist who was still lying on the floor and said ‘Is it okay if I carry water everywhere because that’s what I’m going to be doing?’ and she said ‘go ahead,” the woman said.
Fortunately, a paramedic was sitting right behind her and was able to help treat her.
O New Zealand Herald reported that the two were removed from the aircraft and escorted to the nearby Lake District Hospital in a “moderate” condition. Following the horrific incident, the passenger said she wanted Air New Zealand to reconsider serving hot drinks on short flights and improve the lids on its coffee makers.
Air NZ’s Director of Operational Integrity and Safety, Captain David Morgan, said the company is reviewing its operational procedures to ensure the safety of its customers and crew.
”The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and our crew is trained to respond to these situations. Our operating procedures describe our onboard response to different levels of turbulence, including details about when passengers and crew should occupy their seats during the flight. From time to time, clear air turbulence may occur where the choppy air is not visible to the flight crew,” Morgan said.
“We are always reviewing our operational procedures in line with international regulations and best practices to ensure the safety of our customers and crew is prioritized,” he added.
Severe turbulence is caused by an erratic wind current that occurs in cloudless regions of the sky at the cruising altitude of passenger jets.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
