Multiple Affected as Turbulence Impacts Delta Flight into Sydney, Australia
Several people were hurt following a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services stated they assessed five patients, and took a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.
It is the latest incident of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the official added, adding that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
Paramedics said they were alerted just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
Why plane turbulence is getting increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.
During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "considerable" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted around the world.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing rough air masses generate more 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 safety belt.
As global warming shifts weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.
