Several Hurt as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Several people sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines jet originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air on Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants were injured.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they treated five individuals, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected spanned from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with researchers indicating that global warming is a significant contributor.
On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson noted, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and often stronger.
Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, 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 over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.
Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane passing through disturbed air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
