Multiple Hurt as Rough Air Impacts Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney

Several people sustained injuries after a Delta Airlines aircraft originating in LA to Sydney, Australia encountered significant turbulence on Friday morning.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it made its approach and landed at the Sydney airport, a company official told. A number of the onboard staff required medical attention.

Emergency medical services said they assessed five individuals, and took three of them to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries that comprised spinal discomfort and migraines. Those affected ranged from their 30s up to the 70s.

The event represents the latest incident of commercial jets experiencing severe turbulence, with experts indicating that global warming is a key driver.

The aircraft was carrying 245 passengers and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the representative said, clarifying that the plane arrived "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service reported they received a call just only 180 seconds prior to the plane arrived, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

Why in-flight bumpiness is growing more frequent - and more severe.

In the previous year, two dozen individuals sustained injuries when another Delta jet, on a route from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" atmospheric disturbance just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and was forced to make an precautionary landing.

Recently, passengers and crew on a Singapore Airlines jet went through a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. An individual lost their life and many were hurt, as individuals not fastened in rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

Turbulence is a common occurrence while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are remained quite uncommon.

Research indicates that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a overall number of in excess of 35 million journeys that are conducted globally.

Severe turbulence is categorized as when the up and down movements of a plane experiencing rough air masses apply more than a significant G-force on your body - sufficient force to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As a changing climate modifies weather patterns, researchers alert that commercial aviation could become less smooth: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are likely to increase the occurrence and strength of significant turbulence.