A Delta Airlines flight en route to Amsterdam was forced to make an emergency landing at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday evening after encountering severe turbulence that left dozens injured.
Flight 56, an Airbus A330-900, had departed from Salt Lake City at 16:30 local time (23:30 BST) and was just over two hours into its nine-hour journey when the turbulence struck. The aircraft was diverted and touched down safely in Minneapolis at approximately 19:45 local time (01:45 BST).
Medical teams were on standby to meet the flight, which was carrying 275 passengers and 13 crew members. According to Delta, 25 individuals were transported to local hospitals for further treatment following on-site evaluations.
In a statement, Delta said it is “working with customers to support their immediate needs” and expressed concern for those affected. The airline has not yet disclosed the nature of the injuries sustained or the severity of the turbulence.
According to data from the US National Transportation Safety Board, 207 people have sustained serious injuries due to turbulence, defined as requiring hospitalisation for more than 48 hours, since 2009. Industry estimates suggest that globally, about 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence occur annually, out of more than 35 million flights.
Severe turbulence is described as air disturbances strong enough to generate more than 1.5 g-forces, enough to lift unrestrained passengers from their seats.
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