By Rhiannon Hoyle


Roughly 50 people were treated by first responders after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Latam Airlines experienced what the airline called a technical event when traveling from Sydney to Auckland.

Latam Airlines said it had "a technical event during the flight which caused strong movement." The Chilean airline did not elaborate further on the problem.

The plane landed in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, as scheduled, it said.

New Zealand ambulance service, Hato Hone St. John, said it dispatched 14 units including seven ambulances to Auckland International Airport after hearing of the inflight disturbance at 1558 local time. It transported 12 patients to hospital - including one with serious injuries - when the flight landed.

"Our ambulance crews assessed and treated approximately 50 patients, with one patient in a serious condition and the remainder in a moderate to minor condition," the ambulance service said in an emailed statement.

The plane was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, according to data from FlightAware, a flight tracking site.

A spokesperson for Boeing didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boeing's reputation has suffered from a pair of fatal 737 MAX 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019 that grounded hundreds of jets for nearly two years. More recently, Boeing has been dogged by issues with various models, including misdrilled holes, loose rudder bolts, and the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines MAX 9 door-plug blowout.


Write to Eduard Fernandez Hernandez at eduard.fernandezhernandez@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-11-24 0736ET