Several Injured as Rough Air Hits Delta Flight Landing at Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed a total of five people, and transferred three of them to hospital with minor injuries that comprised back pain and head pain. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.
This marks the latest incident of aircraft encountering severe turbulence, with experts pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a major factor.
On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, adding that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just three minutes before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.
Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more common - and often stronger.
During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" rough air just two hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Estimates show that there are around five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that currently occur globally.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing rough air masses generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
