Severe turbulence on flight sends passengers and food flying across cabin: ‘Coffee dripping on me from ceiling’

Passengers, food and drinks were flung across a cabin in mid-air after an Air Canada flight hit severe turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight AC19 from Vancouver to Singapore was two hours into the almost 16-hour journey from Canada when it encountered “some major bumps” over the North Pacific.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was left with drinks dripping from the ceiling and debris scattered over seats in the aftermath of the rough movement.

A Reddit user shared photos of food splattered across the cabin aisle and overhead bins with the caption: “About two hours into the flight from YVR-SIN we hit some major bumps and everything went flying (including a few people!). Luckily no injuries from what I could tell. Kudos to the crew for keeping everyone under control, and don’t forget to wear your seatbelt!!”

Read more: What is turbulence and can it cause your plane to crash?

Cabin crew reportedly cleaned up “as much as possible” while the Sinagpore-bound flight continued its journey.

The passenger added that the turbulence “took everyone by surprise” in the Reddit thread.

Another commented: “It felt like one of those roller coasters where you have several seconds of weightlessness. And the cabin was full of floating food! I had coffee dripping on me from the ceiling and was picking rice out of my hair afterwards.”

No injuries were reported from passengers or crew following the incident and no emergency landing was made.

The Independent has contacted Air Canada for comment.

It’s not the first instance of severe turbulence this year.

Last month, six people were injured after a Turkish Airlines flight from Turkey to Taiwan encountered severe mid-flight turbulence due to “adverse weather conditions”.

Flight TK24 was carrying 214 passengers and 17 crew members from Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport when it encountered turbulence two hours away from landing on 5 September.

Following a fatal instance of extreme turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight in May, several airlines are considering a mandatory rule for passengers to keep seat belts fastened at almost all times.

In a June social media poll conducted by The Independent’s travel correspondent, Simon Calder, five to one voted in favour of being strapped in throughout a flight.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast