A Number of Affected as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane Landing at Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence this past Friday.
The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five patients, and took a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. The patients' ages were between their 30s to 70s.
The event represents the newest example of aircraft encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, stating that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.
Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.
Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million journeys that are conducted around the world.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air generate more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
