An Air Europa flight from Madrid to Montevideo was diverted to a Brazilian airport on Monday after encountering severe turbulence. The airline confirmed that injured passengers were being treated.
Flight UX045 made an emergency landing at Natal Airport in northeastern Brazil at 2:32 a.m. local time (0532 GMT), according to Zurich Airport Brazil, the local airport operator. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, as indicated by FlightRadar24 data.
Air Europa issued a statement on social media, explaining the situation: “Our flight bound for Montevideo was diverted to Natal due to strong turbulence. The plane landed normally, and those injured of varying severity are already being treated.”
Zurich Airport also confirmed that passengers requiring medical assistance were transported by ambulance to hospitals in Natal. The government of Rio Grande do Norte, where Natal is located, has yet to comment on the incident.
Air Europa has arranged for a second plane to depart from Madrid later on Monday to pick up the passengers and continue the journey to Uruguay.
