A Number of Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Hits A Delta Airlines Plane into Sydney, Australia

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries when a Delta jet originating in LA to Sydney experienced significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services stated they evaluated five individuals, and transported a trio to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and headaches. Those affected ranged from their 30s to 70s.

It is the most recent case of planes experiencing turbulence, with researchers pointing out that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the official said, clarifying that the plane landed "safely and normally" at Sydney Airport at 06:48 local time on Friday.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just a mere three minutes before the plane arrived, and emergency vehicles were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" rough air just two hours into the transoceanic journey, and diverted for an precautionary landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight went through a harrowing brief five-second bout of severe turbulence. One passenger died and many were hurt, as unbelted passengers were thrown from their seats and fell back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon during flights, and while instances of strong or severe turbulence seem to be rising, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are an estimated 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that now take off worldwide.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply in excess of a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a restraint.

As climate change shifts the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become more turbulent: warming trends and changing jet streams in the upper atmosphere are projected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.