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SCMP’s Asia desk

Indian authorities have opened an investigation into an Air India flight that experienced a sudden loss in altitude while en route to New Delhi and caused injuries to 17 people, as eyewitnesses recalled the horrors of their turbulent experience.
According to a report by Reuters, citing a government statement on Tuesday, authorities have secured the aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
The Air India ⁠flight AI2379 was flying from Phuket to Delhi earlier on Tuesday when it encountered a loss of altitude, the carrier said. The aircraft was a seven-year-old Airbus, according to Flightradar24.
Carrying 137 ⁠passengers ⁠and eight crew members, the flight later landed safely in Delhi.
The injured individuals comprised passengers and ‌crew members who were taken ⁠to hospital, according to the government statement.
Air India said it was cooperating with the ‌investigation and ‌had informed the aircraft manufacturer.


One of the eyewitnesses on board was an Italian woman who said she saw her sister being thrown up in the air during the flight, according to a report by The Statesman.
“The aircraft seemed to be moving normally but suddenly the turbulence began. I saw my sister thrown up into the air from her seat. My mother was knocked on her head. My phone fell away,” the woman said.
“We thought we would die. It was really scary. I was shaking and crying. It was horrible,” she added.
A report by India Today said that one air hostess was screaming during the incident, with a colleague of hers warning everyone through the public address system to fasten their seat belts.
Another passenger described the experience as “the worst two hours” of her life.
She said: “Please, please, please always wear your seat belt on a plane, even when the seat belt sign is off. I saw people being thrown into the air, hitting their heads, and getting injured. For a while, I genuinely thought we weren’t going to make it.”
Additional reporting by Reuters


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People

Several passengers on board the Phuket to New Delhi flight describe people hitting their heads and being thrown in the air


Several passengers on board the Phuket to New Delhi flight describe people hitting their heads and being thrown in the air.


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New Delhi investigates Air India flight over altitude loss that injures 17

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Several passengers on board the Phuket to New Delhi flight describe people hitting their heads and being thrown in the air

Several passengers on board the Phuket to New Delhi flight describe people hitting their heads and being thrown in the air