Several Passengers Need Medical Care After 22 Flights Diverted From Denver

Twenty-two flights, including four international arrivals, were diverted from Denver to Colorado Springs on Monday as severe weather brought what officials called "significant turbulence" to the area. Several passengers reported medical concerns and were evaluated by emergency crews at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. At least one person was taken to a hospital.

The airport stayed open throughout the disruption, according to a spokesperson, who also praised the coordinated work of airport personnel, airline partners, emergency responders and supporting agencies. The diverted flights touched down between roughly 4:40 p.m. and 8 p.m., and had all departed again by 10 p.m.

Denver is known as one of the most turbulent airports in the country, often because of mountain waves created when air moves over the Rockies and spreads across the Eastern Plains. Thunderstorms and heat can add to the bumpy rides. Pilots deal with routine turbulence every day, said Dave Cunningham, Denver International Airport’s operations director, and it is rarely dangerous. Still, serious incidents have happened: a SkyWest flight from Aspen to Houston dropped more than 4,000 feet in a minute about a year before this event, sending two people to the hospital, and last summer 25 passengers on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam were hospitalized after an emergency landing in Minneapolis.