A flight attendant was injured when an Air Malta plane hit severe turbulence over Belgium while heading for the Netherlands on Thursday morning.

Central Europe is currently suffering bad weather, with several flights grounded in Germany.

The flight to Amsterdam left Malta airport at 8am after a 40-minute delay.

According to passengers, the plane hit heavy turbulence at around 9.50am. The pilot took action to ease the situation but a female attendant was injured as the aircraft was buffeted and lost altitude suddenly. She was given medical attention.

A passenger told Times of Malta that the flight crew dealt with the situation "very professionally.” On-board medical supplies were used to treat the injured flight attendant.

An aviation expert told Times of Malta that according to flight data on Flightradar, the flight encountered bad weather over Brussels and as it started  its descent, probably as a result of storm Dudley.

The plane had a drastic altitude drop (blue line), at the time when the passengers reported that the turbulence was encountered. That drop, however, could have been action by the pilot. The speed (yellow line) also appeared to have dropped.

An Air Malta spokesman explained that the flight had encountered turbulence over the Alps.  The operating crew took immediate action in line with the Airline’s operational procedures and descended to a lower altitude to avoid passenger discomfort he said. 

He confirmed that while no passengers were injured, a cabin crew needed some minor assistance after striking her knee against a seat. She then proceeded normally with her inflight duties. 

"Safety is Air Malta’s top priority. The airline gives utmost importance to the safety and well-being of its customers and crew and apologises for this disruption caused by circumstances beyond its control," the spokesman said.