Multiple Affected as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Plane Arriving in Sydney
Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines jet traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier stated. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.
Emergency medical services stated they assessed five individuals, and transported a trio to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised back pain and head pain. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.
The event represents the newest example of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a key driver.
There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at the airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.
Why in-flight bumpiness is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, 25 people were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.
Recently, those on board on a certain international flight went through a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of more than 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.
Intense turbulence is described as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through unstable air apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.
