Multiple Injured as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney encountered turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five patients, and transported a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the most recent case of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.
Emergency responders said they were alerted just a mere three minutes prior to the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane going through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.
As climate change alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.
