Several Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight Landing at Sydney
A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney 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 informed. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five individuals, and transported three to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.
It is the newest example of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official added, adding that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
Emergency responders reported they got a call just three minutes prior to the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" turbulence just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and fell back down.
In-flight turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane passing through disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.
As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.
