Several Injured as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew have been injured when a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Local paramedics reported they assessed five patients, and took three of them to the hospital with minor injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official said, stating that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is growing more common - and often stronger.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance annually, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million journeys that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air generate in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a safety belt.

As global warming modifies weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become less smooth: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.