Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney
A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered turbulence this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.
Local paramedics said they treated a total of five people, and transferred three to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that included back pain and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.
The event represents the newest example of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.
There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the representative said, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more frequent - and often stronger.
During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million journeys that now take off worldwide.
Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
