Ryanair turbulence terror as cabin crew sent flying into ceiling

Two cabin crew members were injured on a Ryanair flight to an island loved by Brits. The flight was travelling from Vitoria in northern Spain to the island of Majorca when it was struck by severe turbulence on Sunday afternoon (September 21), just minutes before landing in Palma.

According to reports, the crew were carrying out their safety checks when the aircraft suddenly jolted. One attendant was thrown against the ceiling, while another was struck by the service trolley they were pushing. Emergency services met the plane on arrival at Palma Airport, where the injured staff were treated after passengers reported moments of panic during the flight. Most of the flight attendants were on their feet at the time, and the turbulence struck without warning after what had been an otherwise smooth and punctual under two-hour flight.

Around 180 passengers were on board and described being badly shaken by the intensity of the turbulence. On landing, an ambulance was dispatched directly to the aircraft steps to assist the injured crew. After several minutes, passengers were allowed to disembark.

Operations at Palma Airport had already been affected by weather-related delays across the Mediterranean, particularly in the northeastern region of Catalonia. Storms and heavy rain were already forecast for Majorca overnight, having moved eastwards over the Mediterranean on Sunday evening.

This adverse weather is thought to have been a key factor in the incident. At least one person died in Catalonia on Sunday after much of the region was hit by torrential rains. Rescuers also recovered 27 people who were trapped at the Sant Joan funicular at the Montserrat Monastery, near Barcelona, following a landslide.

Dozens of flights to and from Barcelona airport, Spain's second-busiest, were also either delayed or cancelled because of the rain.

In France, meanwhile, Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille's department in the southeast, was placed on yellow alert for rain and floods on Monday (September 22) as the Mediterranean storm swept through. Meanwhile in Brittany, the Plouah area of Côtes-d'Armor experienced more than 150mm of rainfall between 12pm on Sunday and 6am on Monday.

A 55-year-old woman was found dead in her car in the Guingamp area of France on Monday morning, having become trapped on her way to work, the Côtes-d'Armor prefecture said.