Several Affected as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Flight Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured after a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that comprised pain in the back and head pain. Those affected spanned from their 30s to 70s.

This marks the latest incident of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers saying that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, stating that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

Paramedics reported they received a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "severe" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines flight endured a frightening brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. A traveler lost their life and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet passing through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that flying could become more turbulent: warming trends and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are likely to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.