A Number of Hurt as Turbulence Strikes Delta Flight into Sydney

Several people have been injured when a Delta Airlines aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney, Australia was hit by rough air on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Local paramedics stated they assessed five individuals, and transported three to a medical facility with minor injuries that such as back pain and migraines. The patients' ages spanned from their 30s to 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with researchers saying that climate change is a major factor.

There were 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, adding that the plane touched down "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday.

Emergency responders reported they got a call just three minutes before the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is growing more frequent - and more severe.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, travelling from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, encountered "severe" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, those on board on a certain international flight experienced a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is fairly routine on aircraft journeys, and while instances of rough conditions are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are statistically infrequent.

Data suggests that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million aircraft departures that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a plane experiencing disturbed air apply more than a significant G-force on your body - a strong enough force to propel you from your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As a changing climate alters the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.