Would ascertain whether air turbulence hit Dreamliner: DGCA

NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA today said it would ascertain from Air India whether air turbulence had hit one of its Dreamliners when it was flying to Shanghai from here earlier this month and reportedly caused injuries to some passengers and crew members.

"We have got no official information so far. But we will find out from Air India whether any such thing had happened," a senior DGCA officer told PTI.

The officer was asked whether the DGCA would probe the reported allegations of an unnamed crew member that the incident had taken place on September 7 on a Delhi-Shanghai flight of a Dreamliner.

The cabin crew member had filed a complaint claiming that the flight AI-348, flying on Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai route, experienced a bout of severe turbulence on its way to the eastern Chinese city, resulting in some passengers and crew members being thrown about and receiving injuries.

In a complaint filed after about a week of the incident, the crew member also alleged that the commander of the aircraft "threatened us against any of us opening our mouths about the incident".

When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said there was no enquiry into the incident as no such report was filed. He also termed the reported claims as "mischievous and malicious" and added that "we always take reports on safety of passengers and aircraft very seriously and act on them".