Several Hurt as Rough Air Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight into Sydney
A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney encountered rough air on Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Four flight attendants were injured.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they treated five individuals, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.
This marks the most recent case of aircraft encountering turbulence, with experts indicating that climate change is a key driver.
The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
Paramedics reported they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.
The reasons turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.
Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight endured a terrifying brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while cases of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are around five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.
Severe turbulence is described as when the up and down movements of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a seatbelt.
As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.
