Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Hits A Delta Airlines Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured when a Delta Airlines jet traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Four flight attendants sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they evaluated a total of five people, and took three to a medical facility with minor injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. The injured spanned from their 30s up to the 70s.

It is the newest example of planes being hit by turbulence, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson noted, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders said they got a call just a mere three minutes ahead of the plane arrived, and response teams were waiting on the tarmac.

The reasons turbulence is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "significant" turbulence just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet experienced a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger lost their life and numerous people sustained injuries, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and were slammed back.

Turbulence is fairly routine during flights, and while occurrences of rough conditions appear to be increasing, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are around five thousand cases of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that are conducted worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the vertical motions of a plane going through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - a strong enough force to throw you from your seat if you did not have on a restraint.

As global warming modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become bumpier: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are projected to boost the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.