Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered turbulence Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.
Local paramedics stated they evaluated five patients, and took three to a medical facility with minor injuries that included back pain and migraines. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s to 70s.
It is the most recent case of commercial jets experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a major factor.
There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the representative said, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.
The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.
Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.
In the previous year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.
Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.
Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.
Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that currently occur globally.
Intense turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through unstable air apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As climate change shifts weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
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