Air India Flight from Phuket to Delhi Experiences Mid-Air Turbulence and Altitude Drop

An Air India Airbus A320 flight from Phuket to Delhi experienced sudden mid-air turbulence on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, resulting in a momentary altitude drop of approximately 300 feet. The aircraft, flight AI2379, took off from Phuket at 8:25 am and landed safely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 11:00 am. Following the landing, 14 people, including 10 passengers and four crew members, were taken for medical assessments. Some of the injured were treated at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram and the India Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj.

Air India stated that there were no serious injuries and that the affected individuals required precautionary examination. However, reports from passengers described a more violent scene, with one passenger recalling seeing a man with blood on his face and another describing her sister being thrown from her seat. One DGCA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the pilot reported one cabin crew member was severely injured. Visuals from inside the cabin showed cracks in some overhead bins.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been informed and will conduct an investigation. While the airline attributed the event to turbulence, a DGCA official mentioned that a transient technical fault is also suspected. Some reporting suggests the incident may be linked to the convective activity of the monsoon trough over the Bay of Bengal and the Odisha coast, which can create deep convection and cumulonimbus towers that aircraft must navigate.