Several Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five individuals, and transported three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The injured spanned from their thirties and seventies.
It is the latest incident of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with experts saying that climate change is a key driver.
There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
Paramedics said they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. A traveler passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.
In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through rough air masses exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
