Two people have been injured on an Air New Zealand flight that was rocked by severe turbulence on Sunday.
A passenger reportedly suffered burns from a pot of hot coffee and a crew member was thrown from her feet about 15 minutes after take-off from Wellington to Queenstown.
“I was able to get a bottle of cold water and start dousing myself and I was able to speak to the hostess who was still lying on the floor and saying, ‘Is it alright if I get water everywhere because that’s what I will be doing’, and she said ‘Go for it’,” the injured passenger said, reported Scoop.
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“Luckily for me a paramedic was sitting in the row behind and he helped me for the rest of the flight.”
It is understood both the passenger and cabin crew were taken by ambulance to hospital in a moderate condition.
Another passenger said staff on flight NZ607 were serving coffee and tea when the sudden jerk “caught all by surprise”.
“I personally have never had such sudden, full-on turbulence on my travels,” the traveller told Crux.
“The jolting and dropping, tilting slightly sideways, felt like those parts where you go on a rollercoaster and start dropping down, then boost back up.”
Air New Zealand confirmed a customer and crew member were injured, and raised “clear-air turbulence” as the cause of the drama.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and our crew are trained to respond to these situations,” Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer captain David Morgan said in a statement.
“Our operating procedures outline our onboard response to different levels of turbulence, including detailing when passengers and crew are required to take their seats during the flight.
“From time to time, clear-air turbulence can occur where rough air is not visible to the flight crew.
“We’re always reviewing our operating procedures in line with both regulation and international best practice to ensure the safety of our customers and crew is prioritised.”