A Number of Hurt as In-Flight Disturbance Hits Delta Aircraft Arriving in Sydney, Australia

A number of individuals sustained injuries after a Delta aircraft traveling from LA to Sydney experienced turbulence this past Friday.

The flight, numbered 41 "experienced a brief period of turbulence" as it landed at the Sydney airport, a company official stated. Four flight attendants were injured.

Local paramedics reported they assessed a total of five people, and transported a trio to hospital with minor injuries that comprised pain in the back and migraines. The injured ranged from their thirties and seventies.

The event represents the newest example of aircraft being hit by turbulence, with researchers indicating that shifting climate patterns is a significant contributor.

There were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official added, clarifying that the plane landed "without further incident" at Sydney Airport at 6:48 a.m. local time on Friday morning.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they were alerted just three minutes ahead of the plane landed, and response teams were ready and waiting at the airport.

Why in-flight bumpiness is getting increasingly prevalent - and potentially more dangerous.

During the past year, 25 people were injured when a Delta Airlines flight, travelling from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, encountered "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the long-haul flight, and was forced to make an emergency landing.

Recently, travelers and staff on a certain international flight went through a terrifying brief five-second of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and dozens were injured, as unbelted passengers rose out of their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is fairly routine while flying, and while occurrences of significant turbulence seem to be rising, they are statistically infrequent.

Estimates show that there are an estimated five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance each year, out of a total of over 35 million journeys that now take off around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is categorized as when the vertical motions of a aircraft going through rough air masses apply greater than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to lift you out of your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As climate change shifts weather patterns, researchers alert that flying could become bumpier: warming trends and changing jet streams in the jet stream level are projected to heighten the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.