Several Affected as Turbulence Hits A Delta Airlines Plane Landing at Sydney

A number of individuals were hurt when a Delta aircraft from LA to Sydney encountered significant turbulence this past Friday.

Flight DL41 "went through a short bout of rough air" as it landed at the Sydney airport, an airline spokesperson informed. Four flight attendants required medical attention.

The New South Wales Ambulance Service reported they assessed five patients, and transported three to the hospital with relatively minor issues that included back pain and head pain. The patients' ages spanned from their thirties and seventies.

It is the newest example of aircraft being hit by atmospheric disturbance, with experts pointing out that global warming is a key driver.

On board were 245 people and fifteen staff members on the Airbus A350, the official noted, clarifying that the plane touched down "without further incident" at the airport at 06:48 local time on the day in question.

The NSW Ambulance Service said they received a call just three minutes before the plane touched down, and response teams were standing by on the runway.

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

During the past year, two dozen individuals were hurt when a separate Delta aircraft, flying from Salt Lake City, Utah to Amsterdam, hit "considerable" turbulence just 120 minutes into the transoceanic journey, and had to make an emergency landing.

Earlier this year, those on board on a certain international flight went through a terrifying short but intense bout of severe turbulence. One passenger passed away and many were hurt, as those without seatbelts were thrown from their seats and were slammed back.

Bumpy air is not uncommon on aircraft journeys, and while instances of significant turbulence are reportedly becoming more frequent, they are remained quite uncommon.

Data suggests that there are approximately five thousand cases of significant in-flight disturbance every year, out of a total of more than 35 million flights that currently occur around the world.

Strong atmospheric disturbance is defined as when the up and down movements of a plane experiencing disturbed air exert greater than 1.5g-force on your body - enough to propel you from your seat if you weren't wearing a safety belt.

As global warming modifies the conditions in the sky, researchers alert that air travel could become more turbulent: shifts in temperature and shifting wind patterns in the jet stream level are likely to boost the regularity and severity of significant turbulence.