Several people have been injured after a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by turbulence on Friday morning.
Delta Flight 41 encountered brief turbulence as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson told the BBC. Four flight attendants were injured.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service said it assessed five patients, and took three to hospital with minor injuries, including back pain and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their 30s to 70s.
This incident is the latest in a series of turbulence-related events, with experts attributing some of the increased occurrences to climate change.
There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, which landed safely at 06:48 local time on Friday (19:48 GMT on Thursday).
In response to the incident, the NSW Ambulance Service received a call just three minutes before landing, ensuring emergency vehicles were ready on the tarmac.
Historically, turbulence is not uncommon in aviation, but cases of severe turbulence seem to be on the rise. It was also reported that in a previous incident in 2022, 25 people were injured on another Delta flight due to significant turbulence, prompting an emergency landing.
Estimates show that approximately 5,000 incidents of severe turbulence occur annually among over 35 million global flights, emphasizing that while turbulence can cause injuries, such events remain relatively rare in the broader context of air travel.
Experts warn that with climate change influencing atmospheric conditions, the intensity of turbulence may further increase in the years to come.
