Medics in hazmat suits boarded a Eurowings jet on a German runway after passengers began vomiting mid-flight, a scare tied to a major norovirus outbreak on Rhodes.
Health workers in white protective gear stepped onto Eurowings Flight 9631 after it made a priority landing at Dusseldorf Airport, as emergency crews and ambulances waited on the runway for passengers who had fallen violently ill in the air.
The New York Post reported that the October 18, 2026, flight from the Greek island of Rhodes carried 212 passengers and seven crew when several guests became very unwell, prompting the cabin crew to call for an expedited landing and a full medical response on the ground.
At least three passengers were examined on site and taken to the hospital as a precaution with suspected norovirus. Other travelers were held aboard roughly 90 minutes before they could leave.
Passenger Nathalie Gombik, a 28-year-old bartender, said the trouble started not long after takeoff. She later described multiple people vomiting during the flight and estimated that more travelers showed symptoms than the three confirmed cases.
Gombik told reporters:
"I know for certain that three passengers were affected, but it appeared that approximately three more were also experiencing symptoms. Some passengers were vomiting during the flight."
She said the flight attendants stayed calm and kept the worst of the chaos out of view for most people on board.
Gombik also said:
"The flight attendants remained calm, composed, and discreet throughout the incident. As passengers, we barely noticed the extent of what was happening behind the scenes."
Only after landing did the scale of the response become obvious. Ambulances and staff in protective clothing were waiting. Gombik called the scene shocking and said passengers had no idea at the time that emergency services had reportedly treated the arrival as a mass-casualty event or that the jet had been given landing priority.
She said:
"Seeing so many ambulances and emergency personnel in protective clothing after landing was quite shocking."
And she added:
"At the time, we had no idea that a mass casualty incident had reportedly been declared, that numerous ambulances had been mobilized, or that our aircraft had reportedly been given priority for landing."
Eurowings put the basic facts on the record. The carrier said several guests on EW9631 from Rhodes to Dusseldorf on 18 October 2026 felt very unwell in flight, the crew asked for a priority landing, and medical staff then examined and cared for three affected guests on site before those guests went to the hospital as a precaution. Everyone else continued home as normal.
The airline stated:
"We can confirm that several guests on Eurowings flight EW9631 from Rhodes to Dusseldorf on 18 October 2026 felt very unwell during the flight. The flight crew therefore requested a priority landing at Dusseldorf Airport. After landing, medical staff examined and cared for three affected guests on site. As a precaution, these guests went to hospital. All other guests continued their journeys home as normal."
Eurowings also said the plane held 212 guests and seven crew members, the cause of the symptoms remained unclear and under review, and the safety and health of guests and crews is always its top priority.
The flight did not happen in a vacuum. Greek newspaper Kathimerini has reported a large run of suspected cases on Rhodes itself. More than 1,400 patients with suspected symptoms were treated at Rhodes Hospital since August 10, with the tally measured into early October. Cases recorded on the island since mid-July stood around 1,800, and the real number is likely higher because that count leaves out people who saw private doctors or never went to the hospital.
Officials and the airline have not publicly locked in lab-confirmed diagnoses for the three hospitalized Flight 9631 passengers beyond the suspected norovirus label. Eurowings says it is still looking into what made people sick. That gap matters for travelers who expect clear answers after a runway response in full protective gear.
Gombik herself began suffering the same symptoms on Tuesday, days after the flight, a reminder that these bugs do not always stay on the plane.
When planes fill with vomiting passengers and hazmat teams meet the jet on the tarmac, families deserve straight answers, fast containment, and public-health systems that level with people instead of leaving them to piece the risk together after the fact.
