A Number of Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Flight into Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries following a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia was hit by significant turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they assessed five individuals, and transported a trio to hospital with minor injuries that such as pain in the back and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the newest example of planes encountering atmospheric disturbance, with researchers pointing out that climate change is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 passengers and 15 crew members on the Airbus A350, the Delta spokesperson added, clarifying that the plane touched down "safely and normally" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service indicated they received a call just a mere three minutes prior to the plane touched down, and emergency vehicles were standing by on the runway.

The reasons turbulence is getting more common - and often stronger.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "significant" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the lengthy trip, and was forced to make an unscheduled landing.

Earlier this year, passengers and crew on a certain international flight experienced a frightening five seconds of severe turbulence. An individual passed away and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence during flights, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Estimates show that there are an estimated thousands of instances of severe-or-greater turbulence each year, out of a sum of more than 35 million flights that now take off globally.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the up and down movements of a jet going through unstable air generate in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As a changing climate alters atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the higher altitudes are expected to increase the occurrence and strength of severe turbulence.