Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Several people have been injured after a Delta jet originating in LA to Sydney was hit by rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five individuals, and took three of them to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of commercial jets encountering severe turbulence, with researchers saying that climate change is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official said, adding that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders said they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger died and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence annually, out of a overall number of over 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing unstable air generate more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to increase the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.