A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

Several people have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a representative for the carrier informed. A number of the onboard staff sustained injuries.

Emergency medical services said they assessed a total of five people, and transported three to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. The injured were between their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with researchers saying that climate change is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, clarifying that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Emergency responders indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a harrowing five seconds period of extreme instability. An individual died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while cases of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the vertical motions of a jet going through disturbed air apply greater than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are expected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.