A Number of Injured as Turbulence Impacts Delta Plane Landing at Sydney
A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Local paramedics said they assessed a total of five people, and transported three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as back pain and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with experts saying that global warming is a major factor.
There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative added, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe.
Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying short but intense of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.
Estimates show that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of over 35 million flights that currently occur globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing unstable air apply more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
