A Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Sydney was met by emergency services after severe turbulence during descent sent three cabin crew members to hospital. The Airbus A350 landed at Sydney Airport shortly after 6.40am local time on Friday, carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew.
The airline said the flight had “encountered brief turbulence” as it came in to land, and that no passengers were injured. However, New South Wales Ambulance assessed five patients, including two people aged 71, a 60-year-old woman and a 37-year-old woman. Three crew members were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with minor injuries including back pain and headaches.
NSW Ambulance Mascot station manager Lisa Frow said the injured had “musculoskeletal and lower back concerns”. A Delta spokesperson said: “Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and our customers, and our priority is taking care of the impacted crew members.”
The flight, which departed Los Angeles at 10.11pm on Wednesday, was expected to approach Sydney from the south-west, but about 50km off the NSW coast it veered north-west, looping in to approach the airport from the north. Sydney experienced strong onshore winds on Friday, though there was no clear link to Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which was then closing in on far north Queensland.
The incident follows a similar event last year when 25 people were injured on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam after “significant” turbulence forced an emergency landing. Thunderstorms featuring severe wind gusts, such as violent updrafts and downbursts, are hazardous to aircraft, and research suggests global warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of such wind gusts, with serious consequences for air travel.
