Doctors in hazmat suits have been filmed boarding a plane in Germany after a suspected norovirus outbreak left several passengers seriously ill on board.
Dramatic video shows health workers in white protective gear boarding Eurowings flight 9631 on the runway at Dusseldorf airport after the crew requested a priority landing on Sunday evening.
Several passengers began vomiting mid-flight, shortly after the plane took off from the Greek island of Rhodes, passenger Nathalie Gombik, 28, told NeedToKnow.
“I know for sure that three passengers were affected, but it looks like about three others also had symptoms. Some passengers were vomiting during the flight,” Gombik, a bartender, said of the frightening scenes she filmed.
“Seeing so many ambulances and emergency personnel wearing protective clothing after landing was quite shocking,” she said.
Cabin crew alerted emergency services, who were waiting on the runway when the plane landed in Düsseldorf.
“The flight attendants remained calm, collected and unobtrusive throughout the incident. As passengers, we barely noticed the magnitude of what was happening behind the scenes,” Gombik said.
“At the time, we did not know that a mass casualty incident would have been declared, that many ambulances would have been mobilized or that our planes would have been given priority for landing,” Gombik continued.
She said the passengers were held on the flight for about 90 minutes before they were finally allowed to disembark.
At least three passengers were hospitalized with suspected norovirus, while Gombik also began suffering the same symptoms on Tuesday, days after the flight.
These illnesses are suspected to be linked to a norovirus outbreak in Rhodes that began in July.
As of early October, more than 1,400 patients with suspicious symptoms had been treated at Rhodes Hospital since August 10, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported.
The newspaper reported that the total number of cases recorded on the island since mid-July was around 1,800, but warned that the real number was likely higher because it did not include patients treated by private doctors or those who did not seek hospital care.
“We can confirm that several guests on board Eurowings flight EW9631 from Rhodes to Düsseldorf on October 18, 2026 felt very unwell during the flight,” Eurowings said in a statement.
“The flight crew therefore requested a priority landing at Düsseldorf Airport. After landing, medical staff examined and treated three affected guests on site. As a precaution, these guests went to the hospital. All other guests continued their return journey normally,” the statement continued.
“There were 212 guests and seven crew members on board. The cause of the symptoms is unclear and is under investigation. The safety and health of our guests and crew is always Eurowings’ top priority,” the Eurowings statement concluded.
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