About 50 passengers and crew on a LATAM flight between Sydney, Australia, and Santiago, Chile, with a stopover in Auckland, New Zealand, were injured after the plane suffered a sudden and unexpected loss of altitude on Monday (11).
Emergency response service Hato Hone St John sent a fleet of ambulances to Auckland airport, including a command unit, rapid response vehicles and a major incident response vehicle, after receiving reports of a multi-injury incident aboard LATAM flight LA800, reports our media partner, Aeroin.
In a statement, LATAM Airlines said that «10 passengers from Brazil (2), France (1), Australia (4), Chile (1) and New Zealand (2) as well as 3 cabin crew members were taken to a medical centre to confirm their state of health, most of whom were discharged. Only one passenger and one female crew member have injuries that require further attention, but are not life-threatening».
They also indicated that «a technical event during the flight caused a strong movement». The flight landed in Auckland at 16:26 local time as scheduled.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registration CC-BGG, departed Sydney at around 11.44am on Monday for what was supposed to be a routine flight to Auckland.
Images taken on board the aircraft showed extensive damage to the roof caused by passengers being thrown into the cabin.
#Breaking #Ongoing A few hours ago, a LATAM B-787 was involved in an incident on a flight from Sydney (Australia) to Auckland (New Zealand). First reports point “technical problem” caused “strong movement” in the Cabin, with https://t.co/HdefXQoWmf reporting airplane “‘dropped… pic.twitter.com/L1u0XeET8R
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) March 11, 2024
The plane was flying at 41,000 feet (about 12.5 kilometres) when passengers reported a sudden loss of altitude, causing people to be ejected onto the cabin ceiling, according to New Zealand media.
«Following the cancellation of the flight, a new flight (LA1130) has been arranged for 12 March 2024, scheduled to depart Auckland at 20:00 (local time) for Santiago, Chile. LATAM is providing food and accommodation services to passengers affected by the flight suspension,» continues the LATAM statement, emphasising that it «regrets the inconvenience and discomfort that this situation may have caused to its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as an uncompromising value within the framework of its operational standards».
LATAM operates a fifth freedom flight connecting Sydney and Auckland before continuing on to Santiago de Chile.
