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Posted: 22 June 2009 0918 hrs

Qantas plane

SYDNEY: Seven people were hurt when a Qantas Airbus A330 hit severe turbulence flying from Hong Kong to Perth Monday, the company said, rejecting any links to other incidents involving the same type of plane.

Six passengers and one crew member were treated on board after the mishap, which happened about four hours after take-off. The plane, with 206 passengers and 13 crew, landed safely in Perth.

One passenger described hearing a loud bang before a sudden drop in altitude sent people flying. Two overhead panels were slightly damaged and two oxygen masks were dislodged.

"As the plane was flying we got the normal turbulence but what happened this time was a sudden drop in altitude," the passenger, named John, told Fairfax Radio.

"I was sitting at the exit door and I had this lady, (who) was waiting at the restroom and she flew up and hit the ceiling and came crashing down to the floor," he said.

"It was just a matter of a few seconds but it was really sudden and things went flying."

The incident comes just 11 days after a cockpit blaze forced a Jetstar A330 to make an emergency landing, and follows the June 1 Air France disaster when 228 died in a mysterious accident involving the same model of plane.

Last October, a Qantas A330 went into two steep dives over Western Australia, causing several serious injuries and forcing an emergency landing.

Australian flag-carrier Qantas, which also operates budget airline Jetstar, dismissed any links between Monday's incident and previous ones.

"There is no reason to link the incident to other recent in-flight incidents involving A330 aircraft," Qantas said in a statement.

It said an investigation had been launched.

- AFP/yb

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; see the source article here