Several Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia
Multiple passengers and crew were hurt following a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered turbulence on Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Four flight attendants were injured.
Emergency medical services stated they treated five individuals, and transported three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and headaches. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.
The event represents the most recent case of planes being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.
On board were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
Paramedics said they received a call just three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.
Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying five seconds bout of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and fell back down.
In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through disturbed air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.
As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become more turbulent: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.
