A Number of Affected as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney
A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines flight originating in LA to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed a total of five people, and transported three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the most recent case of planes being hit by turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, stating that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.
Paramedics indicated they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, 25 people were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that now take off globally.
Intense turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through disturbed air exert more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.