A traveler on a recent Air India service has shared a stark warning after enduring what she called the ‘worst two hours’ of her life during a severe bout of turbulence.
Air India said flight AI2379, which was traveling from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi, India, on Tuesday, August 4, ‘experienced a sudden loss of altitude during cruise’.
In a statement, the airline said 17 people were hurt — including 13 passengers and four crew members — and were taken to hospital for assessment.
Air India confirmed there were 137 passengers and eight crew members on board the Airbus A320neo aircraft.
One passenger, an X user known as ‘Minchen’, described the frightening ordeal online and said the incident left her fearing for her life.
After the plane landed safely in Delhi, she urged regular flyers to take extra care and recounted the alarming scenes inside the cabin.
Air India: Phuket – Delhi, 04.08.2026.
The worst two hours of my life. Please, please, please always wear your seatbelt on a plane, even when the seatbelt sign is off.
I saw people being thrown into the air, hitting their heads, and getting injured. For a while, I genuinely… pic.twitter.com/3bVjcZZ18g— Minchen (@minchen_t) August 4, 2026
She wrote: “The worst two hours of my life. Please, please, please always wear your seatbelt on a plane, even when the seatbelt sign is off.
“I saw people being thrown into the air, hitting their heads, and getting injured. For a while, I genuinely thought we weren’t going to make it. I hope everyone is okay!”
In an update issued on August 5 at 15:30 hrs IST, Air India said all 13 injured passengers had been discharged from hospital. However, four crew members remain under medical care and continue to receive treatment.
#WATCH | Delhi: Several passengers injured after Air India flight encounters severe air turbulence while travelling from Phuket to Delhi.
Visuals from IGI Airport where an injured passenger is being moved into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/ybchsVDeoM
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2026
The airline added: “Air India teams remain present at the hospitals and are in close contact with those affected, providing all necessary assistance and support.
“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain Air India’s foremost priority. We will continue to support those affected and their families, and will work closely with the relevant authorities as the investigation progresses.”
According to The Times of India, the plane is believed to have dropped by around 300 feet. Footage shared by Asian News International (ANI) on X appeared to show a passenger on a stretcher being placed into an ambulance while holding an ice pack against their head.
#WATCH | Delhi: Viviana, daughter of the injured passenger being moved into an ambulance, says, "I am from Italy. The aircraft seemed to be moving normally but suddenly the turbulence began. I saw my sister thrown up into the air from her seat. My mother was knocked on her head.… https://t.co/ETIhAOVmIN pic.twitter.com/OlcFx2cII6
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2026
Another passenger, Viviana, also spoke about the distressing experience on board.
She said: “The flight started to have a big turbulence. I saw my sister fly up and my mother [was] knocked on the head. My phone [flew] away… People [sitting] behind me [were] injured very, very badly. One guy had blood all over his face. It was horrible; I thought [I could] die.
“It was really scary. All the flight, I was shaking and crying. It was horrible. I cannot hear well, I think from the pitch pressure.”
Data from flight-tracking site FlightAware shows AI2379 left Phuket International Airport on schedule at 8:27am local time on Tuesday and arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 11:07am, 43 minutes earlier than planned.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a detailed investigation into the incident. The regulator has ordered investigators to examine weather conditions, possible clear-air turbulence, cockpit decision-making, operational procedures, and flight recorder data. Authorities will analyze the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) to verify what occurred during the turbulence event. Air India has been asked to preserve all relevant records.
Aviation experts have described the incident as serious. Captain Prashant Dhalla, an aviation expert, noted that such extreme turbulence conditions can be life-threatening and often cause the aircraft’s autopilot system to disengage, requiring manual pilot intervention.
The incident comes amid growing global concerns about severe turbulence events. In May 2024, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER operating from London to Singapore, encountered severe clear-air turbulence over Myanmar, resulting in one passenger death and more than 100 injuries, marking one of the worst turbulence-related accidents in modern commercial aviation.
Officials are continuing to investigate the Air India incident.