A Number of Affected as Turbulence Impacts Delta Plane Landing at Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta flight originating in Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it landed at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and head pain. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with researchers indicating that global warming is a major factor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, stating that the plane landed "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a plane experiencing rough air masses exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change alters the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.