Summary
- Six EVA Air flight attendants injured after turbulence hits during meal service on Jakarta-Taiwan flight.
- Turbulence risks increase during meal service, particularly for flight attendants on their feet.
- Injuries were reported as minor and the flight continued safely to Taiwan.
Six EVA Air flight attendants were injured after a flight from Jakarta to Taiwan encountered strong turbulence during meal service. The flight continued its routing and landed safely at Taoyuan International Airport.
EVA Air flight attendants hurt during turbulence
As first reported by Taiwanese news outlet Formosa News, six flight attendants onboard EVA Air flight BR238 on Sunday afternoon were injured after turbulence struck as meal service was being conducted. The flight departed Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) just after 15:00 local time and was approximately two hours into its journey to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) when the aircraft – a Boeing 777-300ER – encountered sudden turbulence at 37,000 ft.
Photo: Flightradar24
Data from Flightradar24 suggests the turbulence hit over mountainous terrain in North Kalimantan, a province on the Indonesian island of Borneo. Unfortunately for the flight attendants and passengers, it struck during meal service.
Pictures of the aftermath can be seen in the post above, which was posted by Facebook page World Forum. The photos show aisles littered with food and cutlery, and there is also a photo of an overturned trolley in the galley. Reports suggest the six injured flight attendants suffered minor injuries, and none of the passengers were injured.
Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock
The flight continued its journey to Taipei and landed safely just after 21:15 local time. Simple Flying has reached out to EVA Air for more information and will update this story accordingly.
Turbulence risks
Meal service is probably the worst time for turbulence to strike for a number of reasons:
- Flight attendants will be on their feet serving meals and drinks, putting them at increased risk of injury.
- Passengers are often unbuckled as they want to be more comfortable while having their meal.
- Various items – such as dishes, meals and drinks – will be thrown around the cabin at speed.
The turbulence on flight BR238 was described as “strong,” suggesting it falls into the third of the four severities of turbulence, namely Light, Moderate, Severe and Extreme. According to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) definition, severe turbulence “causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude” and can also cause an aircraft to be “momentarily out of control.” It adds that passengers are likely to be “violently” forced against their seat belts, if wearing them that is.
Simple Flying readers will probably recall the extreme turbulence experienced onboard Singapore Airlines flight 321 on May 21st, 2024, that led to one passenger dying due to a heart attack. The aircraft – also a Boeing 777-300 – is said to have plummeted 178 ft in less than five seconds, injuring over 100 passengers and crew.
Some experts believe that turbulence will become more frequent, and possibly more severe, due to the ongoing effects of climate change.
Photo: Singapore Airlines
In addition to the Singapore Airlines incident, Simple Flying has reported on several severe turbulence incidents in recent months, including a Southwest Airlines flight last week and a Qatar Airways incident in May that left six passengers and six crew injured.
