Twelve people were injured on Sunday during turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha that landed safely as scheduled in Ireland, the Dublin Airport said. The plane, a Boeing B787-9, was flying over Turkey when it encountered turbulence, injuring six passengers and six crew members, the Dublin Airport said on social media. The flight landed in Dublin just before 1 p.m. local time and was met by emergency medical workers, the airport said. Passengers were checked for injuries before leaving the plane, and eight people were taken to a hospital. Dublin Airport said that its operations were not affected and that the airline’s return flight to Doha was still scheduled to depart later on Sunday. Qatar Airways said in a statement that “a small number” of passengers on the flight, QR017, had minor injuries. “The matter is now subject to an internal investigation,” the airline said. “The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.” The flight lasted seven hours and 35 minutes according to Flight Aware, a flight tracking website. The flight continued for more than three hours after passing over Turkey, according to tracking data. The injuries come after a rare death from turbulence occurred during a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday.<br/>
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American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a 9-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory. An airline spokesperson confirmed Friday that the Wilson Elser law firm is no longer defending American in a lawsuit filed by the girl’s family. American retained Kelly Hart & Hallman, a Fort Worth-based firm that has done extensive work for American in other matters. The change in lawyers came after Wilson Elser said in a court document that any harm to the girl could be blamed on her “fault and negligence” for using the lavatory, “which she knew or should have known contained a visible and illuminated recording device.” A former American flight attendant is accused of luring girls to use the lavatory after taping his iPhone to the toilet seat and explaining that the seat was broken. Estes Carter Thompson III, who was fired by American, pleaded not guilty this week to attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of images of child sexual abuse. The 9-year-old’s family sued American in state court in Austin, Texas, after the FBI told them that videos of the girl were found on the flight attendant’s phone. “With the benefit of this new legal representation, we hope that American Airlines will now take a fresh look at the case and finally take some measure of responsibility for what happened to our client,” said Paul Llewellyn, a lawyer for the girl’s family. Llewellyn is also representing the family of a 14-year-old who is suing American in federal court in North Carolina over the same flight attendant’s alleged acts.<br/>
A federal immigration officer is facing a possible prison sentence after he was convicted of using a cellphone camera to shoot up the skirt of a flight attendant as he escorted an immigrant who was being deported. Billy Olvera, 48, was convicted Wednesday in Miami’s federal court of interfering with a flight crew — a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, though it is unlikely the Laredo, Texas, resident’s sentence would be that long. His sentencing is scheduled for August and he is free on bond. A deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Olvera and his deportee were aboard a Nov. 6, 2023, American Airlines flight headed from Dallas to Miami when a flight attendant noticed that every time she walked past him, he held his cellphone in the aisle aimed toward the ceiling, prosecutors said. She notified a colleague, who videotaped him the next time the victim walked past. They then notified the pilot, who alerted law enforcement. Olvera was arrested after the plane landed in Miami. A search of his phone found numerous photos and videos of the victim and others that were attempts to shoot up her skirt. “Mr. Olvera is sincerely remorseful. Mr. Olvera deeply regrets his actions and prays for forgiveness from all those involved,” his attorney, Robert Malove, told The Associated Press on Friday. He said no appeal of the verdict is planned. Immigration officials did not immediately respond Friday to an email seeking comment about whether Olvera is still employed by ICE and whether he has a record of previous misconduct.<br/>