A Number of Affected as Turbulence Strikes Delta Plane Arriving in Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries following a Delta aircraft originating in Los Angeles to Sydney was hit by rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they treated five patients, and took three of them to hospital with minor injuries that such as back pain and migraines. Those affected were between their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft being hit by severe turbulence, with aviation specialists pointing out that climate change is a major factor.

There were nearly 250 travelers and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the Delta spokesperson said, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on the day in question.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane landed, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

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

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "significant" atmospheric disturbance just two hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a terrifying five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of over 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a aircraft passing through rough air masses generate 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 shifts the conditions in the sky, specialists caution that air travel could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the regularity and severity of dangerous in-flight bumps.