Archive · 5 Aug 2026
Air India Phuket-Delhi Turbulence Injures 17, Sparks Response Criticism
A big airplane was flying from Phuket to Delhi.
While it was high in the sky, it suddenly dropped very fast for about ten seconds.
People inside were thrown upward, and one passenger's head hit the ceiling of the plane.
A woman on the plane watched her parents get hurt, and her mother broke some ribs.
After the plane landed, 13 passengers and 4 crew members were hurt and went to the hospital.
Some family members were upset because nobody on the ground seemed ready to help when the plane landed.
They said there were no ambulances or doctors waiting, and not even water for the passengers.
The airline said the plane continued flying normally after the brief scare and landed safely.
Nobody knows for sure why the plane dropped, but one family member said it was most likely a natural cause.
The good news is that the plane landed safely and everyone survived.
Air India flight AI2379, flying from Phuket to Delhi, experienced a sudden loss of altitude during cruise.
The disturbance lasted about ten seconds, roughly 90 minutes to two hours into the journey, throwing passengers against cabin fixtures.
Palak Raniwala said her father's head hit the ceiling and her mother suffered rib fractures; 13 passengers and four crew members were injured and taken to hospital.
Shrikant Jha criticized Air India and airport authorities for a total lack of emergency coordination after landing, citing no ambulances, medical staff, senior staff, or water.
An Air India spokesperson said the aircraft continued normally after the momentary event and landed safely in Delhi at 11:07 hrs IST.
- Who
- Passengers and crew aboard Air India flight AI2379, including the parents of passenger Palak Raniwala, who was on the same flight.
- What
- The flight suffered a sudden loss of altitude during cruise, injuring 13 passengers and four crew members.
- When
- Tuesday morning; the aircraft landed in Delhi at 11:07 hrs IST.
- Where
- En route from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi, India; the aircraft landed in Delhi.
- Why
- A sudden disturbance lasting about ten seconds triggered a sharp drop in altitude; the exact cause is unconfirmed, with one family member saying it was most likely a natural cause.
Passenger Families
Air India
Emergency response after landing
Passenger Families
Shrikant Jha said neither the airport authorities nor Air India made any arrangements after the emergency—no ambulances, no medical staff on standby, no senior staff present, and no water for passengers, with ground staff appearing completely clueless.
Air India
Air India said the aircraft continued normally after the momentary event and landed safely in Delhi at 11:07 hrs IST, without publicly addressing the criticism about coordination upon landing.
- Flight
- AI2379
- Route
- Phuket to Delhi
- Incident
- Sudden loss of altitude during cruise
- Disturbance duration
- About ten seconds, 90 minutes to 2 hours into journey
- People injured
- 13 passengers and 4 crew members
- Reported injuries
- Rib fractures (mother of Palak Raniwala); father's head hit ceiling
- Landing time in Delhi
- 11:07 hrs IST
- Passengers quoted
- Palak Raniwala (daughter) and Shrikant Jha (son-in-law)
