Several Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics said they assessed five patients, and transferred three to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as back pain and head pain. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with experts indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and a crew of 15 on the wide-body jet, the representative said, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they got a call just a mere three minutes before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more common - and more severe.

Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. An individual died and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are around thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million journeys that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft passing through rough air masses apply more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change alters atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to heighten the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.