Several Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney

Several people have been injured following a Delta Airlines flight traveling from LA to Sydney encountered rough air this past Friday.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. A number of the onboard staff were injured.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they evaluated five individuals, and transferred three of them to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a key driver.

On board were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they were alerted just only 180 seconds before the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting more frequent - and often stronger.

During the past year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when a separate Delta aircraft, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "severe" atmospheric disturbance just a couple of hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a frightening short but intense period of extreme instability. A traveler died and numerous people sustained injuries, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is a common occurrence during flights, and while cases of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are approximately five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane going through rough air masses apply in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As global warming alters weather patterns, experts warn that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the upper atmosphere are projected to boost the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.