Multiple Injured as Turbulence Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Several people were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight originating in LA to Sydney experienced turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five patients, and transported a trio to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included pain in the back and head pain. The injured were between their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the newest example of planes being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts saying that climate change is a major factor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official added, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

The reasons turbulence is becoming increasingly prevalent - and more severe.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, hit "significant" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of rough conditions seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur globally.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the up and down movements of a aircraft passing through disturbed air apply more than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you did not have on a seatbelt.

As global warming shifts the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.