A chartered flight returning to the UK from Barbados had to be diverted to Bermuda, when unexpected turbulence caused 11 guests to need hospitalisation.
The flight was carrying passengers home following a cruise on P&O’s Arvia around the Caribbean, with 225 people onboard the plane that departed late on 23rd December.
However, once the plane hit clear-air turbulence, the violent motion of the plane caused some passengers to be badly hurt. As some of those needed urgent medical attention, the decision was made to divert the flight to Bermuda, the nearest possible emergency landing spot.
The plane was met by medical personnel who were able to offer initial care and help transport those injured passengers to safety.
Following treatment, the injuries were deemed manageable enough so that all of the affected passengers could be discharged on Christmas Eve, ready to return to the UK on a new flight.
The original flight had departed once the injured passengers left the plane, with guests arriving back at Manchester Airport on 24th December as planned, albeit a few hours delayed.
“We are very sorry for this disruption to the journey following their holiday and we worked round the clock with the airline and hotels to take care of the guests and to ensure they get home as soon as possible.”
P&O Cruises spokesperson
Incidents such as this are extremely rare and clear-air turbulence normally doesn’t cause such severe motion for planes. Most guests enjoy an uneventful flight to and from the Caribbean.
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Really helpful site Jenni, has there been any feedback from P&O regarding the Major flight problems with Maleth aero. As we are flying on the 23rd February
I presume you have not received my email regarding P&O Cruises regarding the recent plane incident and landing in Burmuda.
It came back as malicious and spam etc
It was no such thing. All my personal details were included not hidden
Allen Hamilton
Sorry, I didn’t receive it. If you’d like to try again, my email address is [email protected]. Thanks
p and o is getting worse
This article is wrong. The affected passengers ended up on Bermuda for 2 nights, and were flown home late Boxing Day night to arrive early on the 27th.
The original plane is still in Bermuda.