A Number of Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Several people have been injured following a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they assessed a total of five people, and took a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.
This marks the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that climate change is a key driver.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.
In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "significant" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through disturbed air generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.
As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.
