Several Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney
A number of individuals sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight originating in LA to Sydney was hit by turbulence Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
Local paramedics reported they treated a total of five people, and transported three of them to hospital with minor injuries that included pain in the back and migraines. The injured ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the latest incident of aircraft encountering atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a key driver.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Emergency responders said they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.
Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that currently occur globally.
Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet passing through unstable air exert more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As a changing climate modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.