Around 50 people have been left injured after a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner experienced a “strong movement” before it landed in Auckland, New Zealand.
The aircraft was operating as flight LA800, and was en route from Sydney. It was scheduled to travel further on to Santiago, Chile on 11 March but following the incident, that flight was cancelled.
Emergency services in Auckland have said that 50 people were injured in the incident, 13 of whom were transported to local hospitals, and one person was in serious condition.
Santiago-based LATAM confirmed the incident on 11 March, saying the aircraft had experienced “a technical event” that led to the “strong movement”. The airline says the aircraft landed in Auckland at 16:26. Passengers have been given food and accommodation until a replacement aircraft arrives on 12 March to take them to Santiago.
Images shared on social media show that parts of the aircraft’s ceiling were also damaged when the aircraft “dropped”. One passenger told a New Zealand-based news channel that “people flew through the cabin” and “got pretty injured”.
According to Cirium fleets data, LATAM operates 24 787s, of which 15 are the -9 model. The carrier serves Sydney and Auckland once daily from Santiago.
Updated on 11 March to add a statement from LATAM Airlines Group.
