Multiple Injured as In-Flight Disturbance Impacts Delta Flight Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals have been injured following a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Sydney experienced rough air this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "encountered brief turbulence" as it made its approach and landed at Sydney Airport, a company official stated. Several cabin crew members were injured.

Emergency medical services reported they assessed five individuals, and took a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as pain in the back and head pain. The patients' ages were between their 30s up to the 70s.

This marks the most recent case of commercial jets being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that global warming is a significant contributor.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 250 travelers and a crew of 15 on the aircraft, the representative said, clarifying that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

Paramedics indicated they received a call just three minutes before the plane arrived, and ambulances were waiting on the tarmac.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when another Delta jet, flying from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a Singapore Airlines jet endured a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. A traveler died and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts lifted out of their seats and crashed back down.

Bumpy air is a common occurrence on aircraft journeys, and while occurrences of strong or severe turbulence appear to be increasing, they are still very rare.

Data suggests that there are approximately 5,000 incidents of severe or worse turbulence annually, out of a overall number of more than 35 million aircraft departures that currently occur worldwide.

Intense turbulence is defined as when the sudden jolts of a jet experiencing disturbed air apply in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - enough to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change modifies atmospheric conditions, specialists caution that commercial aviation could become less smooth: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are likely to boost the frequency and intensity of significant turbulence.