A Number of Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Several people sustained injuries following a Delta jet originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered rough air on Friday morning.
The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services said they evaluated five individuals, and took three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and head pain. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
This marks the newest example of aircraft encountering turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the representative said, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they were alerted just three minutes before the plane landed, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is becoming more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. A traveler died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air generate more than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As global warming modifies atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
