7 injured after Lufthansa flight experiences ‘severe’ turbulence, diverts to DC

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Seven people aboard a Lufthansa flight from Texas to Germany were taken to hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area Wednesday night after their plane was diverted due to significant turbulence.

Lufthansa flight 469 was heading from Austin to Frankfurt when, around 90 minutes into the trip, the flight experienced “brief but severe turbulence,” a representative for Lufthansa said in a statement shared with Nexstar’s KXAN.

The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300, then diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport just outside of D.C., where it landed safely around 8:10 p.m., according to Dulles Airport media.

Seven people were taken to area hospitals for the treatment of minor injuries, officials said.

A Lufthansa representative said the airline was working to rebook affected travelers.

“Lufthansa regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers,” the statement continued. “The safety and well-being of passengers and crew members is Lufthansa’s top priority at all times.”

As KXAN reported in early 2022, Lufthansa, the German national airline, had only resumed nonstop service between Austin and Frankfort in April 2022 after a hiatus during the pandemic.

News of Wednesday night’s Lufthansa incident comes two months after 11 passengers on a Hawaiian Airlines flight between Phoenix and Honolulu were seriously injured amid unusually severe turbulence.

The National Transportation Safety Board later said that particular incident of turbulence was caused by a cloud that “shot up” vertically toward the aircraft, leaving the crew with no time to deviate or warn passengers.