A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.
Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.
Local paramedics said they treated five individuals, and transported three to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.
It is the most recent case of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with experts indicating that climate change is a key driver.
On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the representative added, adding that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.
Paramedics said they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.
In the previous year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and had to make an unscheduled landing.
Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.
In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.
Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off around the world.
Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.
As climate change alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to increase the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.
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