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

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated five individuals, and transported three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included back pain and headaches. The injured spanned from their thirties and seventies.

This marks the latest incident of commercial jets encountering turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely and normally" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just three minutes prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

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

In the previous year, twenty-five passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta Airlines flight, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a harrowing short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply greater than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.