Two individuals sustained injuries during severe turbulence on a Southwest Airlines flight on Wednesday. The plane had to make an urgent landing in Tampa, Florida, as reported by a spokesperson for Tampa International Airport.
According to information from CNN, Southwest Flight 4273 was en route from New Orleans to Orlando when the captain declared an emergency due to turbulence experienced aboard the Boeing 737 jet, as stated by the airline.
“The Captain declared an emergency, which is necessary to deviate from the planned flight route, and also requested paramedics to be available upon the aircraft’s arrival to assess any potential injuries,” the statement noted.
A passenger and a flight attendant were taken to a medical facility in the Tampa area, the airline confirmed.
The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into the incident, as stated by a spokesperson to CNN.
CNN Weather reported that storms which brought severe weather from the Ohio Valley to the Deep South on Tuesday were present over the Gulf of Mexico, causing intense thunderstorms in the region.
In March, it was announced that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun would depart from the troubled company by the end of the year amidst significant changes in management.
Calhoun stated he would depart by the conclusion of 2024.
Boeing’s chairman and the head of the commercial airplane unit are also departing.
According to CNN, Boeing’s chairman, Larry Kellner, will not seek re-election as a board director. The board had chosen former Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf to take his place.
The company additionally revealed that Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, would retire. Stephanie Pope, Boeing’s chief operating officer since January, assumed his position immediately.
Boeing has faced over five years of issues with its aircraft, including two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in 2018 and 2019, resulting in the deaths of 346 people, and most recently, an incident in January where a door plug blew out of the side of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max, causing a significant hole in the plane’s side.
These problems have led to multiple groundings for safety reasons and over $31 billion in total losses.
In a letter to Boeing employees on Monday, Calhoun referred to the Alaska Airlines incident as “a critical moment for Boeing.”
“The whole world is watching us,” he stated when announcing his departure plans. “We will address what isn’t functioning properly, and we will guide our company back toward recovery and stability.”
Calhoun stated in an interview with CNBC in March that his decision to leave was “100%” his own.
However, this decision was made amidst widespread criticism of the company by CEOs of many of the major airlines worldwide that Boeing relies on to purchase its aircraft.
Regarding why Calhoun chose to remain until the end of the year instead of leaving immediately, he told CNBC: “We have another challenge ahead of us. Let’s not overlook what happened with Alaska Air. Let’s not ignore the call to action. Let’s not avoid the necessary changes in our factories.”
“We will overcome this,” he added. “I have committed to the board to do just that.”
