Several Hurt as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney
Several people have been injured after a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.
Local paramedics stated they evaluated five individuals, and took three of them to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included back pain and headaches. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that climate change is a key driver.
There were 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
Paramedics reported they got a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and more severe.
Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing brief five-second of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.
Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.
