Ten people have been injured after an international flight from Australia was violently shaken by turbulence mid-air. Cathay Pacific flight CX156 from Brisbane to Hong Kong, operated by an Airbus A350-900, encountered severe turbulence during the roughly eight-and-a-half-hour journey on May 22.
The airline confirmed that six cabin crew and four passengers suffered minor injuries during the incident. The aircraft landed safely at Hong Kong International Airport about 6:45 am local time, with firefighters, ambulance crews and emergency personnel on standby before arrival.
Medical personnel boarded the aircraft to assess the conditions of a small number of passengers and crew who reported feeling unwell, and they were provided with the utmost level of care, the airline said. Emergency crews and ambulances were awaiting the Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-900 when it landed in Hong Kong, where eight people were taken to hospital for treatment.
Photos from inside the aircraft show coffee splashed across overhead storage panels, and passenger oxygen masks dangling from compartments following the violent turbulence. Cathay Pacific later confirmed eight people were transported to North Lantau Hospital in Tung Chung, while two others were treated at the airport.
The turbulence reportedly struck while cabin crew were serving meals, leaving attendants particularly vulnerable as they moved through the aisles unsecured. Aviation safety experts have long said cabin crew face the greatest risk during sudden turbulence events, with heavy food carts capable of becoming dangerous projectiles when aircraft are violently jolted mid-flight.
Photos and videos shared online after the incident showed food containers, napkins and loose items scattered across the cabin floor. Social media users said the turbulence wrecked the galley, forcing breakfast service to be cancelled after the incident.
A passenger quoted by aviation publication Simple Flying described the experience as feeling like free-falling from a drop tower. Photos taken hours after landing appeared to show the plane parked near maintenance hangars for inspection and cleaning.
Cathay Pacific said it was investigating the incident and is continuing to assist affected passengers and crew. The incident comes almost exactly two years after Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered extreme turbulence over Myanmar, killing one passenger and seriously injuring dozens more, including an Australian woman who was left paralysed from the waist down after suffering a severe spinal injury.
A final report released this week by Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau found the aircraft plunged 178 feet in less than five seconds during the incident and was likely caught in severe vertical air movements linked to a rapidly developing storm cell.
