Terrifying turbulence leaves 12 injured as passengers smash heads on plane roof during flight to India

Published: 14:02, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 14:14, 4 August 2026 An Air India flight experienced extreme turbulence which left at least 12 people injured after the force made passengers bang their heads against the cabin's ceiling.  The Airbus A320, bound for Delhi, India, hit turbulence around 90 minutes after taking off from Phuket, Thailand on Tuesday.  The 134 people on board flight A12379 felt a sudden drop, caused by a change in altitude, leaving those who weren't wearing seatbelts to smash the top of their heads on the plane's roof.  The aircraft was cruising at altitude when it hit the terrifying turbulence, which also left cracks in the plane's interior.  Footage captures terrified passengers, including a man with his arm in a sling, looking on as the plane shakes.   The aircraft landed safely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport around 11am local time, where emergency services were waiting for them.  Injured passengers and flight crew were seen being wheeled into ambulances that rushed to the airport's tarmac, some with bandages on their heads.  They were then taken to the Medanta medical centre in Gurugram, southwest of New Delhi, to be treated. One patient is believed to have suffered a spinal fracture.  The aircraft was cruising at altitude when it hit the terrifying turbulence, which also left cracks in the plane's interior Injured passengers and flight crew were seen being wheeled into ambulances that had rushed to the airport's tarmac, some with bandages on their heads Footage captures terrified passengers, including a man wearing his arm in a sling, looking on as the plane shakes Airline bosses said no serious injuries have been reported 'as of now'.  One passenger described the aircraft shaking for around two to three minutes while the plane was tilted. He added many passengers were sleeping at the time. Air India said the early morning flight hit a 'brief turbulence-related event' while cruising.  They blamed a sudden change in altitude before the crew were able to control the aircraft.  A spokesperson for the airline said the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crew was its main priority, adding they will provide the 'necessary support' for those affected.  They also added Air India will co-operate 'fully' with authorities as part of the investigation.  This comes after an Air India plane crashed last June, killing 260 people.  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed into a medical college 32 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in India on June 12. A total of 241 passengers were killed as well as 19 people on the ground. Only one passenger – British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh – survived. Of the passengers, 53 were British. A preliminary report into the tragedy revealed that before the crash, two fuel switches – which are used to start or shut down the engines and are typically left on during flight – were moved from 'Run' to 'Cutoff', depriving the engines of fuel.  The report also revealed there had been confusion in the cockpit when Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kunder, 28, realised the fault, before desperate attempts were made to flick them back.