Ten passengers and crew members were injured when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight from Brisbane to Hong Kong was hit by severe turbulence on Saturday, with one traveller saying the impact felt like “free-falling from a drop tower” as everyone screamed and items flew through the air.
The passenger told the South China Morning Post that the sudden dip in altitude lasted about two seconds and occurred two hours before the expected landing time, just as flight attendants were about to serve economy-class passengers their meals.
Cathay said 10 people, including two Australians, were injured and sent to hospital for treatment following the turbulence on flight 156.
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“Six cabin crew and four passengers reported minor injuries, and eight of them were sent to the hospital for further medical care,” a Cathay spokesman said.
“The flight arrived in Hong Kong at 6.45am [on Saturday]. Medical personnel boarded the aircraft to assess the condition of a small number of passengers and crew who reported feeling unwell.”
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Candy Chan, an Australia-based traveller returning to Hong Kong for a month, told the SCMP that the flight had proceeded normally after take-off.
About two hours before landing, flight attendants turned on the cabin lights to serve meals to those in economy class, while first- and business-class passengers were already eating, she said.