A Number of Affected as Rough Air Impacts Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service said they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that included spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a key driver.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders reported they received a call just three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is getting more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were injured when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening short but intense of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that currently occur worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through disturbed air exert more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As global warming alters the conditions in the sky, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the higher altitudes are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.