Several Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they assessed five patients, and transferred three of them to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and headaches. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of aircraft experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists saying that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official said, adding that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they got a call just three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and often stronger.

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing rough air masses apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the higher altitudes are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.