Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

Several people sustained injuries when a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five patients, and transferred a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and headaches. The injured ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the latest incident of planes being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the Airbus A350, the representative noted, adding that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they were alerted just three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why plane turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, experienced "considerable" rough air just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a harrowing five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a aircraft experiencing unstable air generate greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As climate change modifies weather patterns, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to boost the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.