'It Would Have Been a Disaster if It Were Ramen'... Turbulence Turns In-Flight Meal on Plane into a 'Mess'

Flight KE197 to Mongolia encounters turbulence over China
Aircraft shakes during meal service... Over 10 passengers injured

A Korean Air flight operating from Incheon to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, experienced severe turbulence while in-flight meals were being served, causing significant shaking. During this incident, some passengers and crew members sustained injuries.

In-flight meals and other items spilled due to turbulence on flight KE197
Photo by Naver Blog 'Kimgat's Travel Archiving', Yonhap News

In-flight meal dropped on the floor due to turbulence
[Photo by Naver Blog 'Kimgat's Travel Archiving', Yonhap News]

According to industry sources on the 5th, Korean Air flight KE197, an A330-300 aircraft carrying 281 passengers, departed Incheon Airport at 8:10 a.m. the previous day. While passing northeast of Tianjin Airport at an altitude of 34,100 feet (approximately 10.4 km), the plane encountered severe turbulence. The flight was rerouted due to thunderstorms already present around Tianjin Airport, China. At the moment meal service was being provided, the aircraft shook up and down for about 15 seconds due to turbulence. In-flight meals on the seat tables fell to the floor, and around 10 passengers and 4 crew members complained of neck and back pain. However, it was reported that no one was seriously injured.

Korean Air suspended in-flight service and urged passengers and crew to remain seated and fasten their seat belts. The condition of the injured was immediately checked, and anti-inflammatory painkillers were administered. Medical staff waiting at Ulaanbaatar Airport treated the injured upon landing, and all passengers completed immigration procedures without being transported to hospitals.

An accident involving Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 making an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand due to turbulence. The photo is for illustrative purposes and is not directly related. [Image source=Sky News]

Recently, both the frequency and intensity of turbulence have increased due to climate change. In the first half of this year, domestic airlines experienced 14,820 turbulence incidents, which is about 72% of last year's total. This corresponds to 97% of the number recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2019 through June of this year, turbulence has been identified as the cause in 7 out of 10 airline accidents involving domestic carriers. Korean Air’s recent decision to discontinue serving ramen in economy class on long-haul flights is also related to this context. The risk of burns from hot water has increased in the densely seated economy class during turbulence.

A Korean Air official said, "Due to the recent increase in unpredictable sudden turbulence, we ask passengers to minimize leaving their seats during flight and to always fasten their seat belts while seated."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.