Multiple Affected as Turbulence Impacts A Delta Airlines Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt after a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed five individuals, and took three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured spanned from their thirties and seventies.

It is the latest incident of commercial jets encountering atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

Paramedics said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and dozens were injured, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon while flying, and while cases of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a sum of over 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet passing through rough air masses exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.