A Number of Injured as Turbulence Hits Delta Flight into Sydney

Multiple passengers and crew sustained injuries after a Delta aircraft originating in LA to Sydney experienced turbulence on Friday morning.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a company official informed. Four flight attendants were injured.

Local paramedics said they assessed five patients, and transported a trio to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised pain in the back and migraines. Those affected were between their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of aircraft experiencing turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that climate change is a significant contributor.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the wide-body jet, the official noted, adding that the plane arrived "safely" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Emergency responders reported they were alerted just only 180 seconds ahead of the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why plane turbulence is becoming more common - and more severe.

Last year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced "considerable" turbulence just two hours into the lengthy trip, and diverted for an emergency landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a frightening five seconds period of extreme instability. One passenger died and numerous people sustained injuries, as individuals not fastened in were thrown from their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a total of over 35 million aircraft departures that now take off globally.

Severe turbulence is described as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing rough air masses apply more than 1.5 times the force of gravity on your body - sufficient force to lift you out of your seat if you were not fastened by a safety belt.

As climate change modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and altered air currents in the jet stream level are likely to heighten the regularity and severity of severe turbulence.