Breaking: 12 Injured on Qatar Airways Flight to Dublin Following Severe Turbulence

A Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner experienced severe turbulence en route to Dublin, resulting in injuries to six passengers and six crew members. Emergency services met the aircraft at Dublin Airport following its landing today.

The turbulence occurred over Turkish airspace during flight QR017 from Doha. The plane landed safely at Dublin Airport just before 13:00, where it was immediately attended by emergency responders, including Airport Police and Fire and Rescue teams. Injured individuals received medical attention on the ground.

Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at daa, which oversees Dublin Airport, confirmed the incident and noted that airport staff are assisting affected passengers and providing support to airline personnel.

Despite the injuries being reported as minor, Qatar Airways has prioritized safety and launched an internal investigation. The aircraft involved, registered as A7-BHM, joined the airline's fleet in September 2023 and is one of 48 Boeing 787s operated by Qatar Airways.

Flight QR017 departed Doha at 07:55 and arrived in Dublin six hours and 49 minutes later at 12:55, ahead of its scheduled arrival time of 13:30. Flight data from Flightradar24 indicated a sudden altitude drop of 275 feet at a rate of 21,888 feet per minute over Turkey, although GPS jamming in the region may affect data accuracy.

This incident follows another severe turbulence event earlier this week involving a Singapore Airlines flight, which resulted in one fatality and 104 injuries. Turbulence is generally a minor concern in aviation, with injuries being rare, but these recent events may prompt airlines and authorities to review their turbulence management policies.