A 47-year-old man had to endure six-and-a-half hours in the air with a broken leg after severe turbulence on a flight, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Niko, a German who’s been living in Bali for 13 years, was flying with Air New Zealand from Indonesia to Auckland on Tuesday. The newspaper reported he and his partner, Sasha, were heading on holiday for around three weeks.
On board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Niko visited the bathroom 30 minutes into the flight – but the jet encountered turbulence on his way back to his seat, per the Herald, breaking his leg in the process.
A friend who picked Niko up from Auckland Airport told the Herald: “His leg pretty much snapped in half.” He added that Niko suffered a fractured tibia and fibula.
There was a doctor on board the flight, but only paracetamol was available to try and ease Niko’s pain, the Herald reported. That meant he was left suffering for the rest of the seven-hour flight.
“Crew asked some passengers to move from their seats so he was able to lie down for the remainder,” the friend added.
Air hostess needed surgery after ‘obscene’ turbulence hit Singapore-UK flight
Air hostess needed surgery after ‘obscene’ turbulence hit Singapore-UK flight
The local ambulance service confirmed to the Herald that they attended an incident at the airport around 5:40am.
Air New Zealand also confirmed the incident to the newspaper. The airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside local working hours.
The airline’s chief operational integrity and safety officer told the Herald that a flight would only divert if it was operationally viable, and the team was “sufficiently concerned” about the injured person’s welfare.
Both incidents serve as reminders for airline passengers to wear their seat belts whenever possible – even if the cabin sign is off. But sometimes, as in Niko’s case, bad luck can’t be avoided.