Ambulances Meet Eurowings Jet From Rhodes After Passengers Feel Unwell in Flight

A Eurowings Airbus landed in Düsseldorf on Sunday evening, October 18, to a large emergency response, after several people on board became unwell on the way from Rhodes. Three of them were sent to hospital as a precaution. Eurowings says it does not yet know what caused the complaints, and although norovirus has been mentioned in some coverage, nobody has confirmed it.

What Happened

Flight EW9631 carried 212 passengers and seven crew members, according to Eurowings as relayed by Euronews and Aviation24. Paddle Your Own Kanoo and The Aviation Hub instead gave a combined figure of 215 people on board, so the exact headcount is not settled. The aircraft was an Airbus A321 registered D-AIDT.

Several passengers developed health problems during the flight. The cockpit crew asked for a priority landing and told rescue services about a medical situation on board. The aircraft touched down in Düsseldorf at about 10 p.m. local time.

What Passengers Described

A passenger said the cabin crew put on face masks about an hour after takeoff, which alarmed some people on board. RTL, cited by Aviation24, also reported a passenger account of crew wearing masks. The same Euronews witness said a passenger nearby had complained of nausea before the aircraft left Rhodes. These are individual accounts, and Eurowings has not commented on them in the coverage reviewed. Shortly before landing, the pilot announced that medical staff would meet the aircraft.

The Response in Düsseldorf

Authorities triggered a precautionary mass-casualty alert, known in Germany as a MANV, because it was initially unclear how many people would need treatment. At least ten ambulances and other emergency vehicles went to the aircraft, along with the airport fire service and Düsseldorf’s city fire brigade, according to news outlets.

Passengers were not allowed to leave straight away. Medical staff in protective clothing boarded and asked passengers about symptoms. Euronews said people were allowed off at about 11:30 p.m., and a witness said the unclear information and the wait caused considerable uncertainty.

Eurowings confirmed that three affected passengers received medical care and went to hospital as a precaution. The remaining passengers continued their journeys, and the airline said the rest of its schedule was not affected.

What Eurowings Has Said

A Eurowings spokesperson told RTL that the cause of the complaints was currently unclear and under investigation. Paddle Your Own Kanoo, and The Aviation Hub, which draws on it, wrote that Eurowings suspects norovirus. The airline statements quoted by Euronews and Aviation24 describe the cause only as unclear, so the norovirus suspicion should be treated as unconfirmed.

Is It Norovirus?

Several outlets name norovirus, a stomach bug known for vomiting and diarrhea, as one possible explanation. It was however cautioned that a group of passengers showing similar symptoms on one flight is not enough, by itself, to show that norovirus was behind it.

No health authority has issued a statement, and the coverage does not report laboratory results. Paddle Your Own Kanoo described the passengers as treated for a gastrointestinal illness, but the other reports do not say which symptoms people had.

What Remains Unclear

The total number of people who became sick has not been published. No life-threatening conditions were reported at the time, but the condition of the three hospitalized passengers has not been updated. It is also unknown whether tests will be carried out, and whether the illness began before boarding or developed in flight.

Until Eurowings or the health authorities announce a diagnosis, why these passengers fell ill on the journey from Rhodes will stay an open question.