TAAG, the Angolan airline, said in a statement that, after the turbulence, people with minor injuries initially received first aid on board by cabin crew and later from the emergency services on land at Humberto Delgado airport, in Lisbon.
According to the airline, after observation and assessment by the medical team, two passengers and a crew member were taken to the hospital for further checks.
The remaining passengers “managed to disembark without assistance”, adds TAAG.
"Following the usual safety procedures, TAAG prioritized assistance to passengers and affected crew, then the aircraft will be inspected by the competent authorities, and an investigation into the occurrence is also underway", assures the carrier.
TAAG adds that the “severe turbulence” recorded on this flight occurred in the open sky and is a type of turbulence “not detectable by the instruments and in a geographical location significantly close to the final destination (Portugal). The captain made the decision indicated in the protocol to continue to travel, within the initial flight plan”.
Situations of adverse weather conditions "happen in aviation and in the history of the company similar cases of severe turbulence have already occurred in the past, and TAAG will continue to guarantee the operational safety of flights".
Images circulating on social networks show the consequences of the turbulence that affected flight DT 652 Luanda-Lisbon, with passengers shown with bruises and blood, especially on the head, and remnants of food and on-board material scattered across the aircraft.