Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney, Australia
A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta Airlines aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.
Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff were injured.
Emergency medical services said they treated five patients, and transferred a trio to hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.
It is the newest example of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists saying that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.
On board were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Emergency responders said they were alerted just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.
The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.
During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.
Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler passed away and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and fell back down.
Turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a sum of over 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.
Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
