Multiple Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Landing at Sydney, Australia

Several people were hurt following a Delta flight originating in LA to Sydney, Australia experienced rough air Friday morning.

Delta Flight 41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it touched down at Sydney Airport, a representative for the carrier stated. Several cabin crew members sustained injuries.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service stated they treated five individuals, and transported a trio to a medical facility with relatively minor issues that such as back pain and head pain. The patients' ages were between their thirties and seventies.

This marks the newest example of aircraft experiencing severe turbulence, with aviation specialists indicating that shifting climate patterns is a key driver.

On board were 245 people and 15 crew members on the aircraft, the Delta spokesperson said, stating that the plane arrived "safely" at the airport at 06:48 local time on Friday morning.

Emergency responders indicated they got a call just a mere three minutes before the plane touched down, and ambulances were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is becoming more common - and potentially more dangerous.

Last year, twenty-five passengers and crew were hurt when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, Netherlands, encountered "severe" rough air just a couple of hours into the long-haul flight, and had to make an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a Singapore Airlines flight experienced a terrifying brief five-second period of extreme instability. One passenger died and dozens were injured, as those without seatbelts rose out of their seats and crashed back down.

In-flight turbulence is not uncommon during flights, and while cases of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are still very rare.

Estimates show that there are around 5,000 incidents of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a sum of in excess of 35 million flights that now take off worldwide.

Intense turbulence is categorized as when the sudden jolts of a jet going through unstable air exert in excess of 1.5g-force on your body - sufficient force to throw you from your seat if you weren't wearing a restraint.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, specialists caution that flying could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the occurrence and strength of dangerous in-flight bumps.