Multiple Injured as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated a total of five people, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.
It is the latest incident of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that global warming is a significant contributor.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official added, stating that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Paramedics said they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.
During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft going through rough air masses exert in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
