Etihad plane hits turbulence while landing in Phuket, no passengers injured

BANGKOK – An Etihad Airways plane hit turbulence while preparing to land at Phuket International Airport on Jan 14, with none of the passengers on board the flight injured.

The airport said that at 11am local time (noon in Singapore), Etihad Airways contacted the airport’s medical division to report that Flight EY416, arriving from Abu Dhabi, had encountered air turbulence.

The airline was unsure at that time if any passenger might have been injured.

In response to the incident, the airport quickly made preparations and coordinated with the Narenthorn Rescue Center and related networks to ensure readiness.

Aircraft parking spot number 15 was prepared to accommodate the situation, and firefighting and rescue personnel were on standby.

On-site ground staff were also ready to provide immediate assistance to passengers and crew.

The flight safely landed at 11.50am, and airport officials confirmed that none of the 160 passengers on board was injured.

The incident did not affect the operations of the airport in any way.

Phuket International Airport expressed gratitude to Vajira Phuket Hospital, Thalang Hospital, Kusoltham Foundation, Bangkok Siriroj Hospital and Bangkok Phuket Hospital for their immediate readiness when alerted by the airport.

Before the airport’s official announcement, several online websites reported that passengers might have been injured, citing emergency medical preparations at the airport.

These reports were based on a post from the Phuket Provincial Administration’s PR Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the Immigration Bureau confirmed that there were no injuries on Flight EY416.

Bureau spokesperson Pongsathorn Pongratchatanon stated that Phuket airport immigration checkpoint commander Rasarin Tirapattharakul had checked the situation and found that all passengers exited the plane unharmed.

They were safely transported from the aircraft to the passenger terminal by airport buses. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK