A passenger and a crew member have been left with injuries after an Air New Zealand flight from Wellington to Queenstown hit turbulence yesterday.
A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said they were called at 2.50pm on Sunday to an incident at Queenstown Airport.
“We responded with two ambulances which took two patients in moderate condition to Lakes District Hospital.”
A passenger on the plane told local media outlet Crux that the cabin crew were serving drinks when the turbulence struck, and a full coffee pot was poured onto a woman.
“She received burns and a paramedic attended to her. She had some blistering.”
The passenger added the turbulence felt like “those parts where you go on a rollercoaster and start dropping down and then boost back up”.
“I personally have never had such sudden, full-on turbulence on my travels.”
They added that a flight attendant had called it “the worst … turbulence in her career”, adding that it “wasn’t super long but intense”.
Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan confirmed in a statement to 1News that a customer and a crew member were injured during turbulence on NZ607 from Wellington to Queenstown.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and our crew are trained to respond to these situations,” he said.
“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.”