TURBULENCE was so severe on a packed jumbo jet that nine passengers and a cabin crew member were injured, an Air Accidents Investigation Branch report has said.

The London-bound Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 had run into extreme turbulence after the pilots' study of weather radar returns had led them to alter course to avoid bad weather on their intended route.

The injured crew member and two of the injured passengers had to be treated in hospital after the aircraft landed safely at Gatwick.

The incident happened on November 14 last year. The aircraft had taken off from Montego Bay in Jamaica.