A Number of Injured as Turbulence Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney
Multiple passengers and crew have been injured following a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.
Emergency medical services reported they evaluated a total of five people, and transferred a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the latest incident of planes being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a major factor.
There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative added, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.