Recently, the China Southern Airlines flight CZ3791 from Zhuhai to Taiyuan encountered severe turbulence due to strong air currents during the flight and had to make an emergency landing in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.
According to a video posted by a netizen, around 9:20 pm on September 8th, the flight from Zhuhai to Taiyuan experienced intense turbulence caused by strong air currents, and around 10 pm, it made an emergency landing in Shijiazhuang, Hebei. The video shows the aircraft shaking, with passengers inside the cabin screaming continuously.
On September 9th, a passenger named Ms. Wang on the flight told the “Urban Express” that initially, the flight from Zhuhai had been smooth until about 9:20 pm when the pilot announced they would be landing in Taiyuan. However, the plane did not descend as expected. Later, the flight attendant informed the passengers that Taiyuan airport did not have suitable landing conditions, and thus they needed to divert to Shijiazhuang. The segment of the flight from Taiyuan to Shijiazhuang was the most turbulent, with lightning visible from inside the plane.
Recalling the experience, Ms. Wang mentioned that due to the air currents, the plane was extremely turbulent, causing many passengers to scream. She herself held onto the armrest tightly, unable to move, with her eyes closed and heart racing in fear but too scared to speak. After the screams subsided, the cabin became very quiet, conveying the tension felt by everyone onboard.
Ms. Wang stated that after the successful emergency landing in Shijiazhuang, many passengers cried, and some even chose to cancel their onward journey.
Flight records show that flight CZ3791 departed from Zhuhai Jinwan airport at 6:50 pm on September 8th and made an emergency landing in Shijiazhuang at 9:53 pm. The flight took off again at 12:37 am on September 9th and arrived at Taiyuan Wusu airport at 1:12 am, with a delay of 5 hours and 42 minutes.
In response, China Southern Airlines issued a statement explaining that due to thunderstorms affecting Taiyuan airport, for safety reasons, the flight crew decided to divert to Shijiazhuang airport as planned. After the weather improved, the flight took off again and safely arrived in Taiyuan early the next morning.
An announcement from Taiyuan Wusu airport showed that on the evening of September 8th at 8:38 pm, the Taiyuan Meteorological Bureau issued a blue alert for thunderstorms and strong winds across the city. It was forecasted that within the next 6 hours, there would be thunderstorms with strong winds of level 7 or above and possibly intense lightning, accompanied by localized heavy rain.