Air Canada Flight Diverted After Hitting Turbulence; 21 Injured

Air Canada flight AC088, en route to Toronto from Shanghai, was diverted to Calgary after hitting turbulence en route.

The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER which was carrying 332 passengers and 19 crew members, landed without incident at approximately 15:23 MT (22:23 GMT) on Wednesday.

21 passengers were transferred directly to local hospitals from the airport, comprising 8 with non-life threatening injuries, and 13 for observation.

"Our focus today has been on those passengers who have been injured in this incident and those other passengers on the aircraft for whom this has been a very unsettling experience," said Klaus Goersch, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada. "We are grateful that the first passengers are already being released from hospital."

Air Canada said it will accommodate all other passengers including those continuing on to Toronto.

A full investigation of the incident is currently being undertaken.