A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight from LA to Sydney experienced turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they treated five individuals, and transferred three to the hospital with minor injuries that comprised back pain and headaches. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with researchers indicating that climate change is a major factor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official said, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "significant" turbulence just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening five seconds bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million journeys that are conducted around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet experiencing disturbed air exert greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As global warming alters weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to increase the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.