Airline passenger news and views

Seven passengers on a Qantas superjet flying from London to Sydney were injured when the aircraft struck severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.

Many of the passengers on board the A380 were Britons heading for the sun in the Australian summer.

Four of the seven who received cuts and bruises were taken to hospital in Singapore for treatment, while the other three were treated at the medical centre in Changi airport.

Qantas said the turbulence was the result of severe thunderstorms over the Indian Ocean, in Indian air space, three hours before the jet was due to land in Singapore for refuelling.

A spokeswoman said the seatbelt sign went on immediately the aircraft hit the turbulence but some passengers were still standing or making their way back to their seats.

Striking severe weather in this region is not unusual.

The aircraft was able to divert around most of it but it was the initial part of the storm that had the impact.

Engineers carried out a thorough inspection of the jet, named after Australian aviation pioneer Charles Kingsford Smith, and declared that no damage had been caused and it was fit to return to the skies.

Just last week the airline reassured passengers there was no risk to safety after cracks were found on the wings of several A380 jets owned by a number of airlines around the world.

The airline said that minuscule cracking had been found in the wing ribs on one of its A380s but no immediate action was required because it presented no risk to flight safety.

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