3 Delta Flight Attendants Injured After Turbulent Flight to Atlanta

Three flight attendants on board a Delta Air Lines plane suffered injuries after experiencing a turbulent flight on Sept. 14.

Delta flight 632 from Quito, Ecuador, landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the early morning hours on Monday, Sept. 15, according to FlightAware.

A representative for the airline told PEOPLE the Boeing 767 “encountered moderate turbulence” during the trip, and three flight attendants reported minor injuries. But they were able to carry out their duties for the remainder of the flight.

The company reported no customer injuries. According to Delta, the flight, which departed late Sunday night, carried 206 passengers and seven crew members from Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport. 

Medical officials met the aircraft when it landed in Atlanta to treat the impacted flight attendants. 

A representative from the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, turbulence is the normal and frequent movement of air that can affect an aircraft. It often occurs unexpectedly and without warning, and is caused by atmospheric pressure, jet streams, cold or warm weather fronts, and thunderstorms. It can even happen when the skies look completely clear.

This type of wind movement is becoming increasingly more common and severe. According to a study published by the American Geophysical Union in 2023, the skies are 55% bumpier today than they were 40 years ago. The study further predicts that a particularly dangerous type of turbulence, clean-air turbulence (CAT), will be more frequent in the future.

“The increases in turbulence are consistent with the effects of climate change, according to previous research,” a press release stated at the time. “Warmer air as a result of carbon dioxide emission is increasing wind shear in the jet streams, strengthening clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic and globally.”

Earlier this year, another Delta flight experienced “severe turbulence” while flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam in the Netherlands on July 30. 

At 5:23 p.m. local time, Delta flight 56, an Airbus A330-941, encountered turbulence “while in cruise flight at an altitude of 37,000 ft near Creston, Wyoming,” a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report stated. The plane had to be diverted to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. 

“After landing, 24 of the 246 passengers were evaluated by emergency medical technicians, with 18 transported to local hospitals for additional assessment; information regarding their conditions is currently unavailable,” the report, which was released on Sept. 9, noted.

“Of the 10 cabin crew members, 2 sustained serious injuries, 5 sustained minor injuries, and 3 were uninjured. None of the 3 flight crew members were injured. The airplane sustained minor damage to interior components,” it added.

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The NTSB found the seat belt sign had been turned off, and the cabin crew had begun service shortly before the plane encountered the “severe turbulence.” 

The NTSB didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

When asked about the NTSB report, a Delta Air Lines spokesperson told PEOPLE, “Delta will decline to comment other than to say that we are fully supporting the ongoing NTSB investigation.”