Chaos on flight as two people are injured after plane hits turbulence

Two people have been injured onboard an Air New Zealand flight.

One passenger and one crew member were injured during turbulence on NZ607 from Wellington to Queenstown on Sunday afternoon. 

Two ambulances arrived at Queenstown airport after the passenger was burned by hot coffee, and the crew member hit the aircraft roof.  

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said they took two patients to Lakes District Hospital in ‘moderate’ condition, the NZ Herald reported. 

One passenger on the flight said the flight attendants were serving hot refreshments when hot coffee was accidentally poured over a female passenger. 

‘She received burns and a paramedic attended to her,’ she told the Crux. 

‘She had some blistering.’ 

The passenger said the turbulence was the worst she had ever experienced. 

‘The jolting and dropping, tilting slightly sideways felt like those parts where you go on a rollercoaster and start dropping down then boost back up,’ she said. 

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan confirmed that a customer and crew member were injured on Sunday.

‘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 told Daily Mail Australia.

‘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.’