Multiple Affected as Rough Air Strikes Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence on Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.
Emergency medical services stated they treated a total of five people, and took a trio to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised back pain and migraines. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
The event represents the latest incident of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with experts indicating that climate change is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more common - and more severe.
In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and crashed back down.
Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that now take off worldwide.
Intense turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing unstable air apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.
As climate change alters weather patterns, experts warn that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and altered air currents in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.
