3 min readUpdated: Aug 4, 2026 02:42 PM IST
An Air India aircraft operating a flight from Phuket to Delhi on Tuesday encountered turbulence while flying, which led to a sudden drop in altitude and caused injuries to a few passengers and cabin crew members. The flight landed safely in Delhi, and at least 12 people — including 10 passengers — were taken to the airport’s medical centre, according to sources. Air India, while acknowledging the incident, said that no serious injuries were reported. The airline didn’t provide the number of injured flyers and crew members.
The incident is expected to be investigated by the country’s aviation authorities. The flight was operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft — registered as VT-EXO — and landed at the Delhi airport at 11 AM, as per flight tracking data. It departed from Phuket at 8:41 AM (local time).
#WATCH | Delhi: Several passengers injured after Air India flight encounters severe air turbulence while travelling from Phuket to Delhi pic.twitter.com/OM1lXKRKcm
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2026
“Air India confirms that flight AI2379, operating from Phuket to Delhi on 4 August, experienced a brief in-flight turbulence-related event during cruise, resulting in a momentary change in altitude. The aircraft landed safely in Delhi and all passengers and crew have safely disembarked,” an Air India spokesperson said in a statement.
“There have been no serious injuries as of now. A small number of passengers and crew members with minor injuries requiring medical assessment have been taken to a medical facility at the airport for precautionary examination and care by Air India’s airport team and medical personnel. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain Air India’s highest priority. We are providing all necessary support to those affected and are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities as part of the investigation,” the airline’s spokesperson added.
#WATCH | Delhi: A passenger says, “It had been an hour and a half since the flight. It was early morning. We were sleeping inside the flight. The flight suddenly stopped while moving and turned around…it kept moving like this for 2-3 minutes…15-20 passengers got injured…there… pic.twitter.com/S5SEDYUCqZ
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2026
In aviation, turbulence is a routine occurrence with scores of flights experiencing it to varying degrees on a daily basis all over the world. Some of it may be near the ground, when strong winds around the airport can cause turbulence as aircraft take off or land, or at higher altitudes, where an updraft or downward flow of air in storm clouds can trigger some turbulence as planes fly through or near them. Turbulence also occurs on the edges of jet streams — strong, fast, and narrow air currents that circle the globe. While turbulence is commonplace, serious injuries caused by it are rare, and fatalities even more so.
Turbulence is an irregular motion of the air resulting from circular whirls of air, or eddies, and vertical air currents — updrafts and downdrafts. Its severity can range from a few minor bumps during the flight to the aircraft tossing around with rapid and harsh changes in altitude, which can lead to injuries to those on board and also result in structural damage to the plane in extremely rare cases.
