Several Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta Airlines jet originating in LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they assessed five patients, and transferred three of them to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as spinal discomfort and headaches. The patients' ages ranged from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the most recent case of planes being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that global warming is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official added, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and often stronger.

Last year, 25 people sustained injuries when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through unstable air exert greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As a changing climate shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: temperature changes and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the frequency and intensity of dangerous in-flight bumps.