A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced turbulence Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.
Local paramedics said they evaluated five patients, and transferred three to hospital with minor injuries that such as spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the latest incident of planes encountering severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that global warming is a key driver.
On board were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the official added, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.
Emergency responders indicated they received a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted around the world.
Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through disturbed air apply more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As climate change alters weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
