A Number of Hurt as Rough Air Strikes A Delta Airlines Aircraft into Sydney

A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta aircraft traveling from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier informed. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they evaluated a total of five people, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and migraines. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the most recent case of aircraft encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers saying that climate change is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just only 180 seconds before the plane landed, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is getting more frequent - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight went through a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while instances of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence every year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane experiencing disturbed air apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that air travel could become more turbulent: warming trends and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are expected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.