Extreme Turbulence Caused Passengers to Be Thrown Against Ceiling of Emirates Flight: It Felt Like ‘the End’

Mar. 15, 2025

Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft flying in the sky.Photo:Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft as seen flying on final approach

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty

Multiple passengers aboard Emirates flight EK421 headed from Perth, Australia, to Dubai were injured after the plane encountered unexpected severe turbulence on Monday.

The incident caused multiple passengers and crew members to be thrown into the ceiling of the aircraft. Some passengers shared their experience and the aftermath onX(formerly Twitter) following the terrifying journey.

“Had the worst flight back from Perth to Dubai with@emirates,” one user named @MattRPD wrote. “Geniunelly felt that was the end as we hit the ceiling to ground twice and smashed the ceiling in. Glad to be home.”

Another passenger wrote about the “awful” journey onXand shared photos of the ceiling cracks that their hair got caught in.

“The@emiratesflight from Perth to Dubai was awful. I hate flying, so I rarely get up unless I need to,” user @lunars_magic captioned their post. “The pilot announced turbulence and to sit down. Literally a second later, myself and others hit the ceiling. You can see my hair in the crack.”

They added that while the crew did the “best that they could” with treating the injured and supporting everyone, the overall experience was “very scary.”

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“It even crossed my mind in the moment, if this was it, am I going to die,” they continued. “I hope others injured or traumatized find quick recovery.”

Emirates aircraft at Dubai International Airport.Getty

Dubai International Airport

Getty

A spokesperson for Emirates said in a statement to PEOPLE: “We can confirm that flight EK421 from Perth to Dubai on 4 December briefly encountered unexpected turbulence mid-flight. This unfortunately resulted in a small number of crew members and passengers on the flight sustaining injuries. The flight continued to Dubai and landed at 4:45 hrs local time.”

source: people.com