A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced turbulence Friday morning.
Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier told. Four flight attendants required medical attention.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five patients, and transported three of them to a medical facility with minor injuries that included pain in the back and head pain. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.
This marks the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a major factor.
There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official said, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
Emergency responders reported they got a call just only 180 seconds ahead of 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, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an precautionary landing.
Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight endured a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.
Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.
Research indicates that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of over 35 million flights that are conducted globally.
Intense turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through unstable air generate greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.
As climate change alters weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
Marlon Vance is a seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting markets, specializing in data-driven predictions and strategy development.
