A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Hits Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta aircraft from Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed a total of five people, and transported three to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and migraines. The injured were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of planes experiencing atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a major factor.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the official noted, stating that the plane landed "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics reported they were alerted just three minutes before the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more common - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" turbulence just two hours into the long-haul flight, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a frightening short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane passing through disturbed air apply greater than 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a seatbelt.

As global warming alters atmospheric conditions, researchers alert that flying could become less smooth: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.