Hawaiian Airlines confirm passengers, crew injured during flight to Sydney

A dozen people were injured mid-air when a Hawaiian Airlines flight travelling to Sydney encountered “unexpected severe turbulence”.

A dozen passengers and flight crew members were injured when a Hawaiian Airlines flight travelling to Sydney encountered “severe turbulence” while flying over the Pacific Ocean.

The HA451 flight from Honolulu to Sydney hit strong winds about five hours into the flight.

Four passengers and three flight attendants were initially treated by a doctor on-board and “crew members in consultation with physicians on the ground”.

A dozen passengers and flight crew members were injured midair on Hawaiian Airlines flight.

The HA451 flight from Honolulu to Sydney hit strong winds about five hours into the flight

The flight landed safely at Sydney Airport about 7.47pm on Friday, where NSW Ambulance paramedics was waiting to assess 12 passengers.

“Our Airbus A330 aircraft carrying 163 passengers and 12 crew members landed without incident at Sydney Airport at 7.47pm local time Friday,” Hawaiian Airlines said in a statement.

“Our immediate priority is to continue to care for our passengers and crew affected by this turbulence event, and we thank Sydney airport first responders for their swift assistance.

“We conducted a thorough inspection of the aircraft before boarding HA452, which departed Sydney to Honolulu at approximately 10.30pm local time yesterday.”

It’s understood NSW Ambulance paramedics assessed 12 patients at the scene.

The airline confirmed one passenger and three staff were taken to hospital.

Two people were taken to St George Hospital at Kogarah with minor injuries, while a third person was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick for back pain.

It comes as hundreds of flights were cancelled during a peak school holiday period, due to strong winds in Sydney and operational staffing issues.

Originally published as Hawaiian Airlines confirm passengers, crew injured during flight to Sydney