Multiple Affected as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Local paramedics reported they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.
This marks the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with experts indicating that climate change is a major factor.
The aircraft was carrying 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Paramedics reported they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.
In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are around thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million journeys that currently occur around the world.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane going through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.
As a changing climate alters weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
